An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform, and is autonomously positioned when on station for a landing.

On March 23, 1962 a Model of the Orion pulse propultion spacecraft General Power was
presented to President Kennedy

Project Orion was a 1950s-60s study by the U.S. Air Force, DARPA, and NASA to explore the feasibility of a nuclear pulse spaceship propelled by atomic explosions. Initially, the vehicle was designed to take off from Earth, but later models were intended for use only in space. The project, led by General Atomics and physicists like Wernher von Braun and Freeman Dyson, included non-nuclear tests and proposals for missions such as a Mars trip.

The idea of nuclear pulse propulsion was first proposed in 1946 by Stanislaw Ulam, with early calculations done in 1947. In 1955, Ulam co-authored a paper on using nuclear fission bombs to propel vehicles in space. DARPA sponsored the project starting in 1958 with a $1 million budget, and NASA also contributed funding. However, support waned by late 1959 when General Dynamics withdrew, and the project struggled to find a clear military or civilian use.

By 1964, Project Orion was canceled due to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear explosions in space, and NASA’s decision to focus on non-nuclear space missions.

Project Orion Battleship by Hazegrayart

Crystal Palace Cinema is based on "Crystal Palace Cinema from realityvirtual.co" (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/crystal-palace-cinema-from-realityvirtualco-01f8155cc7104c75895ad7bc318889ba) by Miguel Bandera (https://sketchfab.com/miguelbandera) licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Titan Barbarian Rocket and the Zenith Star Directed-energy weapon was part of the SDI concept, which was often referred to as "Star Wars" due to its futuristic, space-based defense capabilities.

Martin Marietta’s design featured a large-diameter core powered by five LR-87-AJ11 engines, with a second stage and five Titan 4A SRMs surrounding it. At liftoff, all engines would fire, generating a combined 8.1 million pounds of thrust. The result was a rocket built for sheer power and speed.

The Zenith Star was a proposed space-based chemical laser missile defense system from the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), conceived during the 1980s under President Reagan. It aimed to use powerful lasers deployed on satellites to destroy incoming missiles in space, before they reached Earth.

Despite its innovative vision, the system faced significant challenges, including high power requirements, targeting precision, and the difficulty of maintaining space-based systems. The project ultimately faltered due to technical and financial obstacles, and SDI was abandoned after the Cold War ended.

Though never operational, the Zenith Star influenced later missile defense systems and remains a symbol of the SDI's ambitious goals.

#strategicdefense #starwars #irondome

On March 23, 1962 a Model of the Orion pulse propultion spacecraft General Power was
presented to President Kennedy

Project Orion was a 1950s-60s study by the U.S. Air Force, DARPA, and NASA to explore the feasibility of a nuclear pulse spaceship propelled by atomic explosions. Initially, the vehicle was designed to take off from Earth, but later models were intended for use only in space. The project, led by General Atomics and physicists like Wernher von Braun and Freeman Dyson, included non-nuclear tests and proposals for missions such as a Mars trip.

The idea of nuclear pulse propulsion was first proposed in 1946 by Stanislaw Ulam, with early calculations done in 1947. In 1955, Ulam co-authored a paper on using nuclear fission bombs to propel vehicles in space. DARPA sponsored the project starting in 1958 with a $1 million budget, and NASA also contributed funding. However, support waned by late 1959 when General Dynamics withdrew, and the project struggled to find a clear military or civilian use.

By 1964, Project Orion was canceled due to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear explosions in space, and NASA’s decision to focus on non-nuclear space missions.

Project Orion Battleship by Hazegrayart

Crystal Palace Cinema is based on "Crystal Palace Cinema from realityvirtual.co" (https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/crystal-palace-cinema-from-realityvirtualco-01f8155cc7104c75895ad7bc318889ba) by Miguel Bandera (https://sketchfab.com/miguelbandera) licensed under CC-BY-4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Kliper spaceplane was a proposed Russian reusable spacecraft intended for crewed missions to low Earth orbit (LEO), the Moon, and potentially Mars. Developed by RSC Energia, it aimed to be a successor to the Soyuz spacecraft and capable of transporting both crew and cargo to space.

Key features and concepts associated with the Kliper spaceplane included:

Reusability: Designed to be partially reusable, enabling multiple flights after refurbishment similar to the Space Shuttle program.

Crew Capacity: Planned to accommodate up to six cosmonauts for missions to the International Space Station (ISS) or other orbital missions.

Launch Vehicle: Intended to be launched atop a variety of rockets, including the Soyuz-2 and Angara rockets, depending on mission requirements.

Mission Capabilities: Envisioned for missions to the ISS, lunar expeditions, and potentially Mars missions, providing a versatile platform for various space exploration endeavors.

Landing System: Planned to return to Earth autonomously, with the ability to land on conventional runways, similar to the Space Shuttle, reducing the reliance on ocean landings.

The Kliper project generated significant interest and anticipation, but it faced funding challenges and shifts in priorities within the Russian space program. Ultimately, the project was shelved in the mid-2000s in favor of other initiatives, such as the continued use and development of Soyuz spacecraft and modules for the ISS missions.

Despite its discontinuation, the Kliper concept and its design elements have contributed to discussions and ideas surrounding future crewed spaceflight and reusable spacecraft within the Russian space industry.

The Soyuz-3 concept, as described from the information available, seems to incorporate several key technical details:

First Stage:

Comprised of four conical strap-on boosters.
Equipped with a modified version of the RD-120 engine, borrowed from the operational Zenit-2 rocket.
Second Stage (Core/Sustainer Stage):

Borrowed body dimensions from the Avrora project.
Top section had a cylindrical shape with a constant diameter (different from previous conical shapes).
Carried the NK-33 engine, inherited from the ill-fated N1 rocket of the 1960s Moon Race.
The scale model lacked the RD-110P steering engine on the 2nd stage.
Third Stage:

Developed from scratch.
Equipped with four RD-0146E engines.
Utilized cryogenically cooled liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants.
The basic concept of the engine was also intended for upper stages of the Proton-M and Angara launch vehicles.
These specifications indicate a mix of heritage technology and new developments, combining engines from previous projects like the N1 and Zenit rockets with new designs for the third stage. The use of cryogenic propellants in the third stage suggests a focus on achieving higher performance. (Клипер, English: Clipper) was an early-2000s proposed partially-reusable crewed spacecraft concept by RSC Energia. Due to lack of funding from the ESA and RSA, the project was indefinitely postponed by 2006.

Designed primarily to replace the Soyuz spacecraft, Kliper was proposed in two versions: as a pure lifting body design and as spaceplane with small wings. In either case, the craft would have been able to glide into the atmosphere at an angle that produces much less stress on the human occupants than the current Soyuz. Kliper was intended to be designed to be able to carry up to six people and to perform ferry services between Earth and the International Space Station.

Presumably Soyouz 2-3 would have been able to launch the Kliper without wings and without the service module (working with the module Parom), whereas Soyouz 3 would have been used for the winged and autonomous heavier version (capable of docking to the station by its own).

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An autonomous spaceport drone ship (ASDS) is an ocean-going vessel derived from a deck barge, outfitted with station-keeping engines and a large landing platform, and is autonomously positioned when on station for a landing.

Mach 6 Nuclear Powered 600 Seat Jetliner predecessor to the Concorde and Boom Supersonic Transports

Convair’s Super-NEXUS—a visionary leap into spaceflight—was no ordinary vehicle. This partially reusable, Single-Stage-to-Orbit (SSTO) behemoth was designed to carry an astounding 2 million pounds of payload, making it a true giant of its time. Imagine a colossal structure that stood 400 feet tall, towering over even the mighty Saturn V, which itself reached a height of 363 feet. With a staggering diameter of 150 feet, the NEXUS would have dwarfed its predecessors in both size and capability.

But sheer size is only part of the story. In its largest proposed variant, the Super-NEXUS would have weighed an almost incomprehensible 48 million pounds when fully fueled—compared to the Saturn V’s comparatively modest 6.5 million pounds. This weight discrepancy highlights the ambitious scale of the project. The NEXUS wasn’t just a bigger rocket; it was an entirely new class of spacecraft, designed to deliver an unprecedented payload of 2 million pounds to low Earth orbit—more than eight times the capacity of the Saturn V.

And the innovation didn’t stop there. Unlike traditional one-and-done rockets, the Super-NEXUS was envisioned as a reusable marvel. It was designed not just to launch and land, but to land vertically on the ocean’s surface after each mission. Once safely aloft, the massive vehicle would be towed back to port by ships, ready to be refurbished and launched again. This ambitious dream, while never realized, pointed toward a future where space travel was as routine as any other form of transportation.

Such a vision was perhaps too far ahead of its time—but the audacity and scope of the Super-NEXUS continue to inspire, underscoring the boundless potential of human ingenuity in the quest to conquer the stars.

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Developed from HOTOL (Horizontal Take-Off and Landing) project
Skylon is a series of designs for a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane by the British company Reaction Engines Limited (REL), using SABRE, a combined-cycle, air-breathing rocket propulsion system. The vehicle design is for a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft that would take off from a purpose-built runway, and accelerate to Mach 5.4 at 26 kilometres (16 mi) altitude (compared to typical airliners' 9–13 kilometres (6–8 mi)) using the atmosphere's oxygen before switching the engines to use the internal liquid oxygen (LOX) supply to take it into orbit.

The Boeing doublebody, winged booster, known as Model 832-40
made use of a Dyna-Soar glider as the crew module and escape capsule.
Powered by twin clusters made up of 4 Rocketdyne J-2B rocket engines for vertical boost and 3 hydrogen-fueled, General Electric MF239C Turbofan engines for horizontal flight and landing. Designed for use with a variety of upper stages

Source: https://media.defense.gov/2021/Apr/06/2002615086/-1/-1/0/RECOVERABLE%20BOOSTERS.PDF

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#boeing #nasa #ksp