Rockets Of Unusual Shape: Part 3

The final set of renderings from Boeing ca. 1966. While all of these designs have their issues, they demonstrate some very definite cleverness as well. “Image7” I quite like, as it puts the most important items to recover -the avionics, the engines and the people – into compact pods at the back end of the launch vehicle. The CG might be an issue, with all the heavy stuff being so far aft; but it’s clearly a LOX/kerosene fueled vehicle (rather than hydrogen), so that’ll help. “Image8” shows a re-entry vehicle shaped like an early ICBM re-entry vehicle… but a vehicle that, once the rough part of entry is over, breaks apart to reveal a reasonably aerodynamic “airplane” within.