For the next few days blogging might be a bit sparse as I work on the next issues of Aerospace Projects Review and US Bomber Projects. Usually when I release one of these, I get a *few* emails, generally complementary, sometimes asking for clarification or pointing out editing/spelling errors, that sort of thing (and with APR, “make go more faster”). I very rarely get “why don’t you include this” or “why don’t you do that” messages. Well… discuss. What would you like to see new and/or different in APR and/or USBP?
Also: the perpetual problem I have with both of these is lack of public knowledge of these titles. Heck, when I did “The Space Show” interview two months ago, I expected a slight bump in business… but sales (and views of the APR blog) actually went *down* slightly in the week afterwards. Damned if I can figure that out. So if anyone has any suggestions on how to get some press for these little endeavors, I’d appreciate ’em. And of course, an increase in interest & sales will mean an increase on *my* part in producing these things faster, so if you want APR and USBP issues at a faster clip, here’s how to get it done.
How about for APR:
– the Chinese shuttle design in the 1980’s that looked like a copy of the X20 (http://www.astronautix.com/craft/tsie1978.htm)
– the Soviet lifting bodies, including MiG105-11
– projected Soyuz replacements (big soyuz, Kliper)
but I guess these all would require access to non-US sources, unless you concentrate on the US intelligence sources and their perceptions of what was going on.
NERVA. Timberwind. Any other NTR stuff.
The nuclear shuttle. Spiro Agnew’s plan for the space program and how we would have made it happen. The civilian SST programs.
Hi, I’d like to see a more focused approach which looks at a particular design requirement and then runs through all the different companies’ submissions for it and related designs. When a bunch of different unrelated projects from different time periods are thrown in together I lose interest. This has really prevented me from buying more USBP and APR.
By focusing on one particular requirement, it’d be possible to see how different companies approached the same problem and give some historical context to the requirement itself – what threat were these aircraft designed to overcome, or what mission were they intended to fulfil, what was the world situation at that time and how would the new aircraft have been intended to fit into it?
Even if it meant pulling together articles you’ve already written or combining them with new ones, I’d still rather read a cohesive and focused set of descriptions rather than a disparate and random selection of bits out of context.
I don’t know that much about many of the projects you outline and without really knowing what they were for from the outset I’m less inclined to want to read about them. How about a title that looks specifically at US supersonic airliner projects? Or the various competing designs for the contest that the F-22 won?
for Dyna Soar
some info/picture about the Bell X-20 proposal and Lockheed System 464L
since original article are a lot of picture released of X-20 hardware
would be nice some of them were also in the article
for APR V3N5
More Gemini ! next to Lunar Gemini also,
the Advance Mission proposal and MORL Gemini Ferry and Big G.
And for future APR Gemini MOL
Actually Dyna is the thing I would like to see. The more the better. Especially from the engineering point of view, as this design was in many ways unique.
Gemini evolution studies would also be a nice subject!
My suggestion:
X-15 development and all conceptions. Including orbital X-15 and X-15 Blue Scout
I agree with Dan Sharp request about a more focused approach, specially in the US Bomber series. I’ve bought all APR, eAPR and USBP published to the moment plus many other docs and I feel I need to produce myself a sort of index to understand all the unbuilt projects into its context.
I’d like to see:
post-1980 fighter projects
every unbuilt project before 1945
military cargo projects
ASW projects
Probably you already know: anything regarding TFX, antecessor (that damn Boeing files….) and evolution programs
One area you’ve touched on is the spectrum of launchers for the Solar Power Satellite program of the 1970s and 80s. A related subject is the range of big launchers in general between the Shuttle and SEI (lots of big stuff here using Shuttle technology or other components).