A piece of NASA artwork depicting the STAR Clipper, a Lockheed concept for a 1.5 Stage To Orbit space shuttle. Date is uncertain, probably in the 1967-1969 timeframe. Much more on the STAR Clipper can be found in Aerospace Projects Review issue V3N2.
The CAD model is done. It has been saved as 98 separate STL files (one for each unique part… there will be, of course, many identical parts that will be cast multiple times) and shipped off to 3D print shops for quoting. So, at least for now… wooo! I’m done with it!
You have *no* idea how much time and trouble it took to crank out this one side-view line drawing…
PIA14472: Warm-Season Flows on Slope in Newton Crater
Sure looks like a liquid flowing through the sand. Or worms. Maybe big worms.
A: Bless the Maker and all His Water. Bless the coming and going of Him, May His passing cleanse the world. May He keep the world for his people.
B: Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn’t ya you bastard!
Here are selections from each US Bomber Projects issue released so far, plus one from the next issue (#8). Remember, full issues are only four bucks a pop…
So a year and a half ago, a well-known science fiction author contacted me and wanted to know if I could produce an illustration for a novel he was working on. Why… yes. Yes, I can. And I did. So fast forward to today, and the book (and the illustration) have come out.
Allen Steele’s “V-S Day,” an alternate history of World War II where the Germans produce the “Silverbird” sub-orbital hypersonic rocket bomber, contains two illustrations: my diagram of the Silverbird, and Ron Millers diagram of the US military’s response. Of the two, you can pretty much tell who’s the professional artist…
Anyway, Steele writes good stuff. “V-S Day” is a pretty good yarn. Give it a look!
———–
The Prometheus is being hollowed out and locating bumps & divots are being added. The larger main body parts also have stiffening frames added. Lower left shows the parts for the escape module.
The model will be able to be “posed” in flight configuration. The color version gives an idea about parts breakdown.
Oh, and if you see anything missing here, any vital detail that should be but ain’t… now’s the time to speak up.
And while you wait impatiently for the model to be released… why not buy a couple copies of US Bomber Projects and/or Aerospace Projects Review?
I think this will about do it.
The last remaining bits of missingness from the Prometheus model are the numerous antennae. This is starting to be rectified. The two “radar” dishes” have been assembled. They are cruder and beefier than what’s shown on screen for the simple fact that these parts will need to be printed, molded and cast in resin, and to-scale parts would be far, far too fine to even reliably print. Note that the starboard dish is built on a ball and socket joint, and folds down into a recess for flight.
In the early stages is work on all the “rod” antennae that litter this vehicle. The actual kit parts will be a mix of resin and wire. So far I’ve cobbled together the two bundles behind the starboard “radar.” The wire components are shown in yellow. Wire placeholders are in place for all the bundles, as shown in the previous post showing the model dimensions.
Couple being very ill with desperately trying to make a dime, I’ve not had much opportunity to scour my files recently for aerospace projects to blog about. So here’s one: a notion for a fully reusable two-stage-to-orbit launch vehicle produced by North American around 1963. This was part of a study for reusable launchers with a payload of 50 to 100 tons, with the baseline design being a reusable version of the Saturn V.
This design was at the far end of the possible designs, with “nail wings onto S-IC and S-II stages” being on the near-term end. This design would be fully reusable with both stages manned and powered by LOX/LH2 burning expansion-deflection rocket engines. As with many such designs of the time, the wing area is relatively gigantic.
