/sci/ - Science & Math

>>11941359
They weren't, the lithium/aluminum tanks ended up being a tiny bit lighter than the COPVs. The problem with the vehicle was that even if it were all composites, thermal cloth and aluminum it would have been too heavy to carry any significant payload to orbit compared to it's own mass and cost, again, because it's an SSTO.
If it had drop tanks it wouldn't be an SSTO, which is fine, because SSTOs aren't good. MAKS is a spaceplane with a drop tank, obviously there's some shuttle inspiration, a bit of "what if orange tank but not retarded?" It's hoisted by a conventional aircraft first though, like Virgin Galactic.