December 2020 – Aerospace Projects Review Blog

December 2020 APR Rewards

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Dec 312020

Just released, the December 2020 rewards for APR Patrons and Subscribers. Included this month:

Diagram: a large format diagram of a Lockheed cruise missile. The designation of the missile is not given, but this looks like a SCAD design.

Document 1: Consolidated Class VB Carrier Based Bomber, from 1946

Document2: “Economic Aspects of a Reusable Single Stage To Orbit Vehicle,” a paper by Phil Bono on the ROOST launch vehicle from 1963

Document 3: “Shuttle Derived Vehicles,” a NASA-MSFC briefing to General Abrahamson from 1984

CAD Diagram: XSM-64A Navaho, the configuration that would have been built as an operational vehicle had the program gone forward

If this sort of thing is of interest, sign up either for the APR Patreon or the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program.

Possibilities of New Business Growth: ET Tank Farms

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Dec 252020

In 1985, Rockwell International considered the possibility that there might be profit in clustering the External Tank from the Space Shuttle in Earth orbit. There the tanks could be filled with propellant to serve as orbital “gas stations,” or rebuilt into space habitats or other structures, or simple reprocessed for the raw structural materials. In order to do this the Shuttle would have to shed a noticeable fraction of total payload. Something not given a whole lot of thought was what to do about the insulating foam applied to the tanks; ultraviolet sunlight, thermal cycling and a harsh vacuum would cause the foam to break down ans turn each orbiting tank into a little comet, the nucleus of a cloud of foam bits.

Still, it would have been nice if the tanks had been used rather than simply dumped into the Indian Ocean.

Possibilities of New Business Growth: ICBMs

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Dec 242020

In 1985, Rockwell International considered the possibility that there might be profit in ICBMs. In particular, small ICBMs (“Midgetman”), road-mobile with a single warhead. Sadly, the SICBM did not come to be. Nor did any other ICBM. The current ICBM that the USAF fields is the Minuteman, merely an updated version of the same missile first fielded nearly *sixty* years ago. The Peacekeeper ICBM was deployed the year after Rockwell produced this document… and the Peacekeeper was withdrawn twenty years later with no replacement in sight

Possibilities of New Business Growth: Space Cocoons

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Dec 232020

In 1985, Rockwell International considered the possibility that there might be profit in long-term “storage sheds” for satellites. These would provide physical protection for the satellites against radiation, micrometeoroids, lasers and the like; the satellites within would be kept in reserve for the day when other satellites are disabled, such as by enemy action. Presumably these cocoons would provide communications and power as well.

Possibilities of New Business Growth: Space-Based Radar

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Dec 212020

So, picking up after a *slight* delay…

In 1985, Rockwell International considered the possibility that there might be profit in an orbital radar system that looks back at Earth. Such a system would have both civilian and defense applications… air traffic control and spotting sea ice were possibilities for the civilian sector, and spotting cruise missiles, fighters, bombers and surface vessels for the military. In reality a system like this would probably be far more interesting to the military.

AGM-69A SRAM

hi-rez, Monthly Historical Documents Program, nukes, Patreon, rockets No Responses »

Dec 162020

A recently donated blueprint of the AGM-69A Short Range Attack Missile:

I’ve made available to above-$10 subscribers and patrons both the full resolution scan of the above, as well as a processed clearer B&W version. If you’d be interested in helping to preserve aerospace history such as this, as well as receiving bonus content like this, please consider signing up either for the APR Patreon or the APR Monthly Historical Documents Program.

LTA art

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Dec 142020

A while back someone on ebay was selling vintage glossies of concept art of lighter than air cargo lifters, something that got studied with some seriousness in the 70’s and 80’s. As always, money was spent, progress was made, projects were cancelled and nothing came of it.