Gentlefolk,
One imagines that, like most other thing, turnaround time would be subject to
cost-benefit trades, design, and experience.
There will likely be a somewhat soft physical limit in how rapidly one can
push fuel and oxidizer into the vehicle, but by the standards of an
operational air base, or a Daytona 500 pit crew, 4 hours turnaround would
seem generous, and both involve vehicles arguably more complex (though less
massive-which counts) than an SSTO rocket. If my (increasingly fallible)
memory is serving me correctly, I once talked to a crew chief who told me
they got an SR-71 turned around in 42 minutes, albeit with some corner
cutting.
The hard part of SSTO is mass ratio, which is essentially a passive
design feature for a true SSTO. The flight systems should be, and IMHO may
need to be, less complicated than those of much human-rated stuff that is
already operational.
Design for rapid turnaround may not be too exotic of a consideration.
While politics makes it unlikely for DoD to fund the development of an SSTO,
if someone else builds one, they will likely come shopping and be interested
in rapid turnaround.
And, yes, computerized preflight checks are essential for safety, and will
likely have speed benefits as well.
--Best, Gerald
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