Lockheed CL-586 NF-104

Below is a three-view of the CL-586, the internal Lockheed designation for the NF-104 aerospace trainer. The NF-104 had a Rocketdyen AR-2 hydrogen peroxide/jet fuel rocket nailed to its tail, and reaction control thrusters located in the extended wingtips and nose. The NF-104 could blast skywars to an altitude of greater than 120,000 feet (more than 22 miles), which would be *essentially* in the vacuum of space, requiring the use of the RCS thrusters to maintain orientation. While the aircraft was at great altitude, it was nowhere near orbital velocity, so it came right back down again. This was useful for astronaut training; they’d get zero-g time as well as experience maneuvering a spacecraft.