DynaSoar spaceplane

[Archibald]

In december 1963, young Mc Namara died of an unexpected heart attack. This was a kind of relief for the arm lobby, and many project threatened were save by its successors.
The Dynasoar space shuttle was one of them... and the program received a go ahead in January 1964. In march 1965, the first test device arrived in Edwards AFB. It was attached under wings of the NB-52B 008 (AkA balls eight). Test Pilot Bill Dana climb in the cockpit.
F-104s, T-38 and F5D were airborne at the time, and the B-52 smothly tooke off with the sharp balck shuttle under its wing. Fritz Fulton was at the controls of the bomber. He climbed at 28000 fts and released the  glider. Dana made a perfect gliding, testing the flight control system. Dyna Soar landed on the Dry rock desert, and vehicles quickly reached the landing point. The B-52 and chases planes made a low flypast over the team...
(Modified Photo from Mark Wade, Astronautix website)

[Matt Wiser]

Nicely done! You have brought the X-20 to life. Not too many people know the USAF had a parallel space program alongside NASA's. X-20, and the Manned Orbiting Labratory were the centerpiece of the AF program back then. MOL was a manned lab in a polar orbit served by Gemini capsules-after it was axed, most of the MOL crews went to NASA. MOL's purpose was entirely military-manned space recon from orbit. MOL was axed when the reliability of spy satellites improved.  

[Archibald]

I know that because I'm also a great fan of spaceplanes in general. So stay tunned my friend because I have imagined a big and long life to the brave Dynasoar... with profiles of course!  

[Archibald]

At the beginning of course, Dyna soar was to be launch by a big, man-rated Titatan III-M rocket.
The USAF led the program after NASA went to capsules such as Gemini. but in 1964 the two services agree to use the Titan IIIM to launch both Gemini and DynaSoar.
Starting from 1964, boeing opened a dynasoar production line in wichita. In fact, as the spaceplane was small it was not too expensive so many could be produced. The USAF wanted no less than 20 Dynasoars. The aim was to use them as strategic orbital recon plane. Of course, spy satellites also do the job, but they were prisoneers from their orbits and sometimes needed inspection and repair. Dynasoar was able to change its orbit for space recon. The astronaut on board could also repair satellites. Another vital function was suborbital flight. Launched from the east coast via a Titan IIIM, Dynasoar could overfly the USSR at 20000 km/h and land at Ewards or other Air Bases.
The first manned flight ocurred in May 1966. The spaceplane was launched from Vanderberg AFB and after two orbits landed at Edwards AFB. A C-141A had been modified as ferrying aircraft.  

[Archibald]

C-141 SCA with DynaSoar on top.  

[GTX]

Hi folks,

Of course this:

In december 1963, young Mc Namara died of an unexpected heart attack

Also raises other what-if possibilities, perhaps the biggest of which would be the F-111 saga potentially not happenning - after all McNamara was the main advocate behind driving the USAF and USN to join forces on the F-111.

Sorry to hijack your discussion there Archibald,  what about some foreign DynaSoar operators - RAF, RAAF?  Also maybe a MOL (Manned Orbiting Laboratory) what-if too?

Regards,

Greg

[Archibald]

Eerh... well my thread was about DynaSoar. Don't know what to do with the MOL because this program REPLACED dynasoar.
Of course we can imagine that the MOL and Dynasoar are completary, but I prefer Skylab. In the case the MOL survive, of course dynasoar replace the blueGemini spacecraft.
In fact, DynaSoar/MOL+ Apollo would be too much for the USA in the sixties. and there's Skylab, which was launched in 1973, after Apollo.
So I think there would be no MOL in my alternate word. but don't worry, there will be other surprises... RCAF, RAF, RAAF AdA etc. I also made a scratchbuild 1/72 DynaSoar.  

[Archibald]

At the beginning of the flight, Titan-IIIM with dynasoar was launched from Vandenberg only. but in 1968, Nixon declared that the airbase was too vulnerable. so the USAF converted one Titan II underground silo (and their titan missiles) to the launch of dynasoar.
The aim was to have always a dynasoar in alert at 10mn, as with fighters. The Titan rocket was fully fueled, the Astronauts must rushed to their cockpits, and the titan III was launched. The silo elected was Davis Monthan.
changed included new accomodations for the astronauts.

[Archibald]

So the USAD had an order for 20 Dyna soar. After that, the CIA and NASA also received some of them.
NASA received 10 dynasoars. They were named
- Constitution
- Constellation
- Enterprise
- Cook
- New York
- Ranger
- Voyager
- Pioneer
- Washington
- Lincoln
The constellation was the third NASA Dyna soar to fly in 1971.

[Archibald]

They were launched from Cap Canaveral. In fact after the Apollo program peak, in 1969, NASA wanted a reusable space plane. After much hesistation they finally made a conservative choice (Dynasoar+ expendable rockets).

[GTX]

Archibald,

USAF converted one Titan II underground silo (and their titan missiles) to the launch of dynasoar.
The aim was to have always a dynasoar in alert at 10mn, as with fighters.

I like it... I like it a lot!!!!!!

Regards,

Greg

[Archibald]

Thank you GTX!!! Nice to you to interest to my thread... youre the only

I imagined this base just like Bitburg Zulu squadrons... You have the plane ready to fly, the rocket always fueled  and the pilots on alert. Suddenly, a bell is ringing, and technicians start to run everywhere in a perfect move... the astronaut quickly dress, climb in the elevator (with its helmets under his arm) on top of the rocket and seat on the Dynasoar cockpit. Two man close the hatch, then the platform is evacuated. the decount is launch and suddenly the doors of the silo open, a ray of sun illumanate the scene and a huge noise shake everything.
Then the grey/white Titan III rocket with the sharp, black dynasoar on top slowly emerge from the silo, with a huge tong of fire behind it, burning everything. The rocket quickly climb and accelerate. In less than 7 minutes, the astronaut is in orbit...  and start to spy USSR with a powerful HIAC-1 camera (the same of the RB-57 and Isreali RF-4E).

[Hobbes]

Thank you GTX!!! Nice to you to interest to my thread... youre the only

no, he's not  B)

just hadn't got around to replying yet.

It's an interesting concept. The Air Force approached space from their own point of view, using aircraft-like concepts (X-15, Dynasoar) instead of the capsules Nasa used. Had Dynasoar been developed further, the Space Shuttle would have looked rather different, too (maybe they would have figured out sooner that the Shuttle's configuration is rather compromised).


The Dynasoar sure was ugly, though.  

[Archibald]

The CIA received 10 DynaSoar between 1967 and 1972. They were launched from Vanderberg on titan II rocket. The CIA was not interested in orbital flight but more in suborbital flight. So they receive old Titan II missiles.
As these launch were not orbital, the orientation of the flight was not important. So the CIA launched its dynasoar to the north-west. Starting from Vandenberg, the Titan II launched the DynaSoar at 180km and 20000km/h. The pilots crossed the Pacific in  25mn, heading to Japan. They entered USSR airspace over Vladivostok, and overfly the 5000 km long USSR in 8 minuts. Theu go out the USSR airspace over Turkey, then speed start to fall and the Dynasoar re enter the atmospher over Gibraltar. Atlantic is crossed in 10mn, and the spaceship enter US airspace over Florida. Pilots can land in Cap canaveral, or cross the USA. If they do that, landing sites are
- White sands in New Mexico
- Edwards, Vandenberg or Groom lake in the west coast.
As U-2 or A-12, DynaSoar had no markings (salvo a smal red serial number on the tail) and were enterely black.  

[Maverick]

I've been reading too...!!! I love the X-20, it's not ugly, it's just..... unique... sorta like a stray mutt.  Excellent backstory tho.. some serious work there