A bit of Boeing art showing trip times around the US for their 2707 SST. This was obviously before the panic over sonic booms destroyed hopes for overland supersonic travel.
Jan 182014
Jan 172014
On the back of one odd piece of Boeing propaganda for the 2707 SST were a few paintings depicting the wonders that the SST would bring. This one depicts the interior of the SST. It seems, by modern standards, quite empty and spartan… what happened to the overhead baggage stowage? There seems to be only a little of that here.
Also, notice that the stewardesses/flight attendants/whatever seem to be wearing bubble helmets. This is not doubt pure artistic license, meant to make it look more mid-1960s Future Cool. But having flown recently, and having spent those seven or eight hours cooped up right in front of someone who spent the whole trip coughing up their lungs (and, unsurprisingly, I came down with the plague within the next day or two), I know *I* would certainly want to wear an environment suit if I had to spend my days in a sealed aluminum tube with hundreds of random strangers. Hell, next time I fly I’m wearing a gas mask.
Jan 152014
Possibly an ATF, more likely a pre-ATF concept. Looks high performance but with little effort at stealth.If the code scribbled on it means what I think it might, it may be dated 1971. In which case this would be a bit late for the F-15 program (McD was picked in 1969), and certainly doesn’t fit the F-16 profile.
Jan 122014
Another from the stash of largely-Grumman concept art, a lift-fan equipped VTOL aircraft, probably a ground support plane. The terrain is clearly Viet Nam inspired, so I’d put this in the second half of the 1960’s.
Note the complete lack of markings. This may indicate that the painting was photographed while still in a “neutral” stage, where markings could be applied aimed at specific customers. The Marines would seem an obvious choice, but in the mid 1960’s it was still a believable possibility that the Army could be equipped with aircraft such as this.
Jan 072014
Another (probably Grumman) painting depicting the abortive F-111B in service. The paint scheme shown here is different from what’s usually depicted, with an overall dark gray upper and lighter gray lower.
Jan 052014
A piece of artwork – from a collection of Grumman art – depicting the failed US Navy F-111B. The F-111B was primarily a General Dynamics design, but Grumman was an important contractor, so this may be Grumman art.
Jan 042014
A photo of the full-scale Zenith Star space-based laser experiment at the Martin-Mariette Titan plant near Denver, circa 1987.
Dec 302013
McDonnell-Douglas concept art of their briefly studied Advanced Technology Bomber design.
Everything I have on this, including some very reliable diagrams, is in US Bomber Projects #05. If you’d like to download the full-rez version of this (3000 pixels wide), it is available HERE. To access it, you’ll need the username and password given in the “USBP05 extra content” section on the first page of USBP #05.
Dec 272013
Issue number 5 of US Bomber Projects is now available (for background, see HERE). This issue includes:
- McDonnell-Douglas ATB: The little know third competitor for the B-2
- McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing DF-9: A Mach 10 global-range strike/space launch system from the 1990’s
- Boeing Model 701-273-5: A supersonic bomber with an extreme inverse-taper wing
- Fairchild N-9: An early 1950’s nuclear powered concept
- Martin Model 223-5: A predecessor to the B-48 with canards
- Rockwell D645-5: A subsonic 1978 flying wing bomber designed to use a laser for defense against fighters and missiles
- North American 464L: NAA’s X-15 derived orbital spaceplane concept for the Dyna Soar program
- Boeing Model 464-17: 1946 four-turboprop strategic bomber, a step toward the B-52
USBP#05 can be downloaded as a PDF file for only $4.25:
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Dec 272013
Be sure to check out the Complete Catalog for all the drawings and documents.
Saturn I Summary
A 44 page NASA brochure (from somewhen around 1965) describing all the Saturn I vehicles that were launched. Includes diagrams showing the different configurations and provides mission data and highlights.
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The Retro-Glide Booster Concept
A 20-page collection of information on the Martin-Marietta “Retro-Glide Booster,” an early Shuttle idea for using a winged and recoverable derivative of the Saturn V first stage. A 1971 NASA Space Shuttle History Project document.
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NB-36H Aircraft Descriptive Data
30 pages of Lockheed data on the Convair NB-36H (the B-36 equipped with a nuclear reactor for test purposes). This comes from the Lockheed “Competitive Data Group,” which was Lockheed’s collection of intelligence data on *other* companies designs and proposals. This report, largely hand-written, provides a program history as well as weight and dimensional data, with a number of sketches showing the general arrangement and internal layout.
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Handbook on Guided Missiles
212 pages of a 1946 War Department report on German and Japanese rocket powered missiles and aircraft. This rarely-seen classic (scanned from a photocopy) provides a vast pile of information, including a great many diagrams.
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Saturn Foldout
A NASA-Marshall publicity brochure on the Saturn V, dating to the mid-late 1960’s. Prints out full-size to 34 1/4 inches by 9 1/2 inches
