Sep 052009
Taken from a NASA briefing is a drawing showing a twin-fuselage C-5 transport plane designed to carry the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Advantages of doing it this way – rather than using a more-or-less standard 747 – include easier mating (simply tow the Shuttle underneath, no giant cranes needed) and safer drop testing… just drop it. Additionally, much more “stuff” could be carried by the aircraft.
Disadvantages would include a far more extensive modification and qualification program, as well as limitations regarding runway width.
6 Responses to “Shuttling the Shuttle: Twin fuselage C-5 Galaxy”
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Well, there’s the answer to the question nobody asked.
I imagine this was the outcome of the big cross-range the DOD wanted out of the Shuttle, which could have had it landing at a lot of differnt military airfields that didn’t have the gear to lift it atop the 747.
If nothing else, it would of made a good carrier aircraft for some sort of follow-on air-dropped military orbiter vehicle.
Pat
Orbiter wing clearance looks pretty minimal for a drop test to me.
It really reminds me a “Mistelbomber”. You know, the unmanned flying bomb version of a Ju-88 with a manned Fw-190 on top.
If it reminds you of a Mistel, check out this: http://www.luft46.com/db/dbbombb.html
This basic concept has been around for a very long time, and probably served as the the inspiration for Rutan’s SpaceShip carriers.
[…] from the same brief presentation as this twin-fuselage C-5, this is a notional concept for much the same thing but using 747 components. Clearly it was not […]
[…] unsurprisingly, a C-5 Galaxy. This would have been a lot simpler aircraft to develop than the twin-fuselage Galaxy, though it woudl require more infrastructure at any landing site in order to pick up the orbiter […]