Boeing Hypersonic Airliner

 future projects, hypersonic, jetliner, transports  No Responses »
Jun 262018
 

Faster Than Concorde: Boeing Hypersonic Jet Concept Would Cross Atlantic In 2 Hours

Boeing revealed artwork of a hypersonic transport at an AIAA conference in Atlanta. Capable of Mach 5, Boeing suggests that they could build this aircraft soon… in as little as 20 or 30 years.

Not a whole lot of detail on this one as yet. And given that the claim is “thirty years in the future,” chances are that this design is little more than artwork. The fuselage is pretty generic (although those are some big windows for a Mach 5 aircraft), but the wings and stabilizers (and apparent engine nacelles) are taken from previous Boeing designs stretching back to the 70’s.

 

 

 Posted by at 11:30 am

B-58 SN 55-665

 bomber, Recon  No Responses »
Jun 242018
 

Convair B-58A serial number 55-665 was unique due to the extended nose radome. This was in support of the YF-12 program: the AN/ASG-18 radar from the YF-12 was grafted onto the nose of the B58, and a special pod was constructed that would carry a single AIM-47 missile on a deployable “trapeze” launch rail like the YF-12.

SN 55-665 is one of the few surviving examples of the B-58. Sadly… “surviving” is a relative term. It’s sitting in the Mojave desert at Edwards Air Force Base, out in the approximate middle of nowhere; it has been stripped of pretty much everything including not only engines but also nacelles. It was placed there not as a gunnery target, but a photo target for satellite reconnaissance systems. (satellite imagery can be seen HERE) The desert is a benign environment for long term storage of metallic aircraft, but it it still non-optimum. It can clearly be found and climbed upon, which seems not only disrespectful but also unwise.

Seems to me that this aircraft should be taken to a museum and restored. However, restoring it to the appearance of a flyable aircraft would seem a virtual economic impossibility given its depleted state. Still… it does seem that it could be cleaned up, some missing bits restored, and put on display as a “cutaway” showing the inner workings of the aircraft.

 Posted by at 10:07 am

Forthcoming

 launch vehicles, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane, US Launcher Projects  1 Response »
Jun 202018
 

First draft of diagrams for the next issue of US Launcher Projects. This will include concepts such as an eight-F-1 Nova, a 1962 Lockheed fully reusable spaceplane launcher, a Boeing HTOHL SSTO, a Convair VTOHL Delta Clipper competitor, a giant SPS launcher, a balloon-recovered Saturn I, an early Space Shuttle concept and an expendable SSTO.

 Posted by at 7:58 pm

AR-22

 future projects, hypersonic, launch vehicles, rockets, spaceplane  No Responses »
Jun 192018
 

The first Aerojet-Rocketdyne AR-22 rocket engine has recently been assembled. This is a somewhat modified version of the old Space Shuttle Main Engine, meant specifically to power the first stage of the Boeing “Phantom Express” spaceplane. Thrust is 375,000 pounds and the engine is meant to be used 55 times, with servicing every 10 missions.

First Engine Assembled for DARPA and Boeing Reusable Experimental Spaceplane

The Phantom Express is meant to fly often and inexpensively… and appears to be basically an updated version of the mid-90’s Rockwell design for the X-33. It’s not clear to me that a hydrogen-burner using SSME-derived tech can compete economically with the likes of the Falcon 9, but the Phantom Express isn’t really intended to compete in the commercial market. Instead, the Phantom Express is intended as  military launch system, lobbing relatively small satellites – communications and recon, with the possibility of GPS-replacements in the event that military action takes them out. Given that any future war with a major opponent will certainly involve attacks on American space infrastructure, it’s reasonable for DARPA to want to have as many rapid response launch systems as practical. The basic concept underlying the Phantom Express is simple and straightforward enough, and likely to be somewhat more rugged and reliable than the hoverslam landing system of the Falcon series… at the cost of probably weighing more.

 Posted by at 7:58 pm

Boeing entry vehicle designs

 bomber, Dyna Soar, hypersonic, launch vehicles, research, rockets, space shuttle, spacecraft, spaceplane  No Responses »
Jun 102018
 

A Boeing illustration from 1964 showing a number of designs for lifting entry vehicles that Boeing had produced by that point. Most of these are manned vehicle concepts; a few of them are unfamiliar to me. The “B-3 —– B” looks like it might have been an ASSET competitor. The “Recoverable Booster” at top is one of several similar V-shaped designs that used a modestly modified Dyna Soar as the crew capsule up front. One such design was the Model 895 shown (along with competing ASP designs from other firms) in Aerospace Projects Review issue V2N5.

 

 Posted by at 12:18 am

Radial-arm artificial-gravity space station concept art

 hi-rez, space station, spacecraft, spaceplane  No Responses »
May 282018
 

A piece of 1960’s aerospace concept art depicting a sizable (50 to 100 crew) space station equipped with three modules at the ends of arms, intended for artificial gravity via centrifugal force. Presumably the conical structural at the left would contain the nuclear reactor, shielding and radiations; presumably the modules on the hub at the far left would be non-rotating to aid spacecraft docking. Unclear what the source is… but I’d bet on either North American Aviation or Lockheed.

I have uploaded righ-rez scans of both sides of this B&W photo glossy to the 2018-05 APR Extras folder on Dropbox for APR Patrons at the $4 level and up. If you are interested in these  images and a great many other “extras” and monthly aerospace history rewards, please sign up for the APR Patreon. What else are you going to spend $4 a month on?

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 Posted by at 11:28 am

Reusable Atlas model photos

 hi-rez, launch vehicles, Patreon, rockets, space shuttle, spaceplane  No Responses »
May 182018
 

In the 1960’s, prior to the Space Shuttle program, General Dynamics/Convair  studied using the Atlas ICBM as a space launch system. no surprise there. But one concept called for a nearly fully reusable Atlas, equipped with wings, jet engines, landing gear and a cockpit to recover the booster in one reusable piece. It would be topped with either an expendable Centaur and satellite/space probe upper stage or a smallish manned lifting body spaceplane with its own built-in  propulsive capability. At the time General Dynamics released sizable “educational” cards with information and photos of models of the reusable Atlas. Unlike the normal Atlas, this version did not drop the outboard “booster’ engines, but kept them throughout the mission. An inflatable, deployable afterbody was proposed to fair over the engines after burnout to reduce base drag.

I have uploaded righ-rez scans of both sides of this poster-sized card to the 2018-05 APR Extras folder on Dropbox for APR Patrons at the $4 level and up.

Additionally, a report on this concept is available as Space Doc 52.

If you are interested in these Reusable Atlas model images and a great many other “extras” and monthly aerospace history rewards, please sign up for the APR Patreon. What else are you going to spend $4 a month on?

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 Posted by at 11:14 pm

Convair VL-3A model photos

 hi-rez, hypersonic, launch vehicles, rockets, space shuttle, space station, spacecraft, spaceplane  No Responses »
May 102018
 

The Convair VL-3A was a 1966 concept for a space station logistics spacecraft. It was a sleek, flat-bottomed lifting body featuring a twin tail and flip-out wings that would deploy shortly before landing to reduce the landing speed. It would be fitted with flip-out turbofan engines for range extension, self-ferry and control during landing. General Dynamics released sizable “educational” cards with information and photos of models of the spaceplane showing  how the wings would deploy from within the lower fuselage.

I have uploaded righ-rez scans of both sides of this poster-sized card to the 2018-05 APR Extras  folder on Dropbox for APR Patrons at the $4 level and up.

I also wrote about and illustrated the VL-3A in US Spacecraft Projects #2, showing the general arrangement of the design along with the disposable propulsion stage and the launch configuration atop the Titan III.

USSP #02 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $6:

 

If you are interested in thes VL-3A model images and a great many other “extras” and monthly aerospace history rewards, please sign up for the APR Patreon. What else are you going to spend $4 a month on?

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 Posted by at 1:04 am
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