The Apollo Command, Service and Lunar modules, from 1963. The CSM is largely recognizable, but the lunar module is quite different from what actually got built. The ascent stage, for instance, still features very large – and very heavy – windows for the crew to look out of. This was due to the fact that the crew at this time were seated during landing, putting them well back from the windows.
NASA artwork of the Saturn V, from 1963. It’s close to what actually got built, but the practiced eye can spot some important differences.
A piece of artwork from North American illustrating a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. This was clearly intended for high speed… not only does it have four turbojet engines for forward thrust, if also have variable sweep wings. The complexity here is that the wings have embedded lift fans, probably driven be high pressure exhaust gas from two or more of the main turbojets. The ductwork would be impressive.
Role is unclear, but it appears to be a fighter or strike-fighter. Indications of weapons bays on the fuselage underside; at least one forward-firing gun. No other data available.
Long before the “Aurora” was flying across the pages of sensationalist magazines at Mach 6+, NASA was studying a range of hypersonic research aircraft. While the designs different, sometimes wildly, there were occasional configurations remarkably like the hypothetical “Aurora.” Some would argue that that means that the “Aurora” was derived from this earlier NASA work, but a more reasonable supposition is that those who envisioned “Aurora” were drawing upon public representations of the earlier NASA work in order to dream up what Aurora must look like.
One such design that is very representative of the iconic “Aurora” image is this Hypersonic Research Airplane configuration from 1973, shown here as a drawing and as a NASA-Langley subsonic wind tunnel test model. The aircraft was powered by liquid rocket engines in the tail and an underslung scramjet pod. It had a cockpit that would raise up at low speed so the pilot could see to land, but was otherwise a very clean configuration.
