The planned X-15A-3 was to be a stretched X-15 with delta wings and increased performance (up to Mach 8). As a result of the higher speeds, it would get pretty warm over most of the skin, requiring advanced high-temperature materials.
Jul 202012
Jul 192012
I have this artwork… and nothing else. It depicts a VTOL aircraft that apparently uses augmenter technology for vertical thrust, and has an air cushion landing system. These would seem to place the design in the late 1960’s, maybe early 1970’s. That was when Bell was pushing air cushion landing systems hard… and before the spectacular failure of the augmenter-wing XFV-12.
It seems to be armed to the teeth with guns, but doesn’t seem to have space for much of anything else.
Jul 182012
A few years ago I found this in Jay Miller’s giant stack of stuff down in Arkansas. It was devoid of context, just a loose photocopy. Most likely it represents some Bell Helicopter illustrator having some fun spoofing the modifiability of the Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter. I’m guessing this dates to the 1980’s.
Jul 132012
The AIAA-Houston chapter newsletter “Horizons” has published an article I wrote on a 1963 concept for a variable geometry spaceplane capable of both space station logistics and combat missions. You can download the May/June 2012 here: http://www.aiaahouston.org/
Jul 112012
From the NASA HQ history office, a NASA chart illustrating the NERVA nuclear rocket as of 1968.
Jul 112012
A 1955 NACA concept for a hydrogen fueled subsonic bomber. Cruise altitude was 80,000 feet; gross weight was 150,000 pounds; wing span was 345 feet; a mission radius of 4300 miles; a payload of 15,000 pounds.
Jul 082012
A 1955 NACA concept model of a supersonic bomber fueled with liquid hydrogen.
Jul 052012
From the NASA HQ history office, a photo of a Martin Marietta model of the HL-10. The ID plaque on the base of the model reads “NASA HL-10 LIFTING ENTRY RESEARCH VEHICLE,” but the interior clearly shows that this design was intended for transportation of crew, and possibly cargo, to space.
This most likely dates from around 1967, when Martin was studying HL-10-type orbital craft for NASA. This appears to be the “D/3” configuration, one of a fairly large number of HL-10-based designs. The D/3 was capable of carrying three crew (up to six) and would be launched atop a Titan IIIc launch vehicle.
Jun 302012
The “Orphans in Space” DVD set contains a bunch of really rather odd old films about space, from the early part of the 20th century up to the 1980’s. The video of most interest to readers of this blog is a Martin-Marietta promotional video for the Zenith Star laser satellite, featuring snippets of a speech by President Reagan at the Martin Marietta facility (near Denver?) in front of a full-scale Zenith Star mockup.
The video was copied to DVD from a videotape, which is why the resolution is a bit low.
Jun 252012
NASA-Lewis artwork depicting a simple solid-core nuclear thermal rocket, circa 1962.
