Sep 162009
 

A 1960 Boeing concept (most likely part of SR-183, kinda shown HERE) for manned lunar landing spacecraft based on Dyna Soar aerodynamics.

Compared the the Saturn V/Apollo spacecraft, the booster seems massively undersized. The Dyna Soar-derived spaceplane would land on the lunar surface and take off again for the trip to Earth… and the Dyna Soar was not a lightly constructed vehicle. As shown, the top half of the entire launch vehicle is lunar landing payload.

My guess is that this model was not built to reflect a fully-fleshed-out detailed engineering design, but might have instead been a “sketch” of a general concept. Evidence of that viewpoint will be posted soon.

image12asda.jpg

 Posted by at 10:39 am

  8 Responses to “Dyna Soar to the Moon”

  1. that looks like Phillip Bono Booster for his Mars projekt

    the seven identical Lox/LH2 plug nuzzle boosters.
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VRIPUQofXu8/SStdUK1APAI/AAAAAAAAEd4/6tH4Mveb1Zk/s1600/bonomars2.gif

    By the Way
    Martin proposed also use Dyna Soar-derived spaceplane for moon mission
    on ther Arcturus (build from Titan 1 first stage tanks)

  2. …Reminds me a lot of Chelomei’s “Uragan” UR proposals. As ugly as it looks, I still wish we’d have built and launched these monstrosities.

  3. That reminds me of a 1959 plastic model kit called the XSL-01 Manned Space Ship
    http://www.ninfinger.org/models/kitplans/revellh1800.html
    except instead of a Dyna Soar, it had a Moonship
    http://www.ninfinger.org/models/kitplans/revellh1825.html

  4. …On a side note, the narrow attach point *does* beg structural explanation, doesn’t it?

  5. Would this size out well using exotic propellents (Flox/hydrogen)?

    As to landing the Dyna-soar lunarly, Kraft Ehricke has a thought I’d consider applicable: smoothing an area of regolith and friction-braking to a halt. Do this in advance robotically, couldn’t you dispense with a braking stage? Not that I’d want to be the first guy to reenter at 25,000 mph a craft whose underside had been battered by lunar rock…

  6. That would make a great kit

  7. >That would make a great kit

    Perhaps, but unlikely a “profitable” one. Additionally, dimensions seem lacking.

  8. […] slightly later Boeing concept for using a Dyna Soar-like spaceplane as a lunar lander/Earth return vehicle. This one was likely designed to a higher degree of fidelity. I base this on […]

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.