X-20 Dyna-Soar Survelliance Spacecraft

The Dyna-Soar was far more advanced in concept than the other human spaceflight missions of the period. It had military missions other than simply placing one or two men into space. It is one of the great "what if" projects of early spaceflight. Data collected during the X-20 program would prove useful in designing the Space Shuttle. The much larger Shuttle would also be boosted into orbit by large rockets for launch, and the final design would also pick delta wings for controlled landings, but it (and a similar Soviet design, Buran) would not fly until decades after the X-20 cancellation.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Dyna-Soar
• x-20
• NASA
• USAF

[voron27]

Dyna Soar was one of my favorites STS, it is sad they canceled it. By now we would have vacation on the moon.

Lets make spaceships, not war!!!.

[spacemooseireland]

@voron27 I know something that might cheer you up, type in 'skylon spaceplane' on youtube I studied Space Science at the International Space University. Skylon spaceplane nees 10-13 years of research to develop it but its already such a good project that private investors are flocking to it. Hate to say it but its about 400 times more efficient then the Dyna-Soar. Anyway the USA has a manned spacecraft program soon with SpaceX which costs 6 times less then the space shuttle, beat that.

[jpowell180]

Stupid McNamara was a real jerk for cancelling this one.

If you armed that puppy with a couple of Davy Crocketts (with added guidence systems in them), they would have been more than a match for ANY ufo's.

[rosswnelson]

McNamara was a complete tosser. This thing would have been fully operational by 68 and its variant that carried 5 crew by 70 at the latest. Essentially by 1970-72 the US would have had a reusable space shuttle a decade early. It could have lugged crew to space stations, etc. All that was needed was the forsight to have a USAF and a nasa version of it.

Instead the shuttle was built that tried to be all things to everyone and was none of them, as well as dangerous.

[tunny1600]

Absolutely! Brilliant opportunity wasted. After shuttle, US has now no manned spaceflight capability. Doh!

[Astronaut14]

Minty cool way to go!. 5 stars

[fuzzywzhe]

My parents were Catholic.

I specialized in science and eventually went on to become an engineer. I was interested in psychology so I studied it, and read a lot about game theory and how it relates to reciprocal altruism and how social networks necessarily lead to "morality" due to increasing fitness of an individual.

But arguing faith - it's pointless. Reason can't fight faith. Faith is inherently unreasonable.

But you'll never see atheists driving planes into the world trade center...

[superiorgreen]

I can respect that. I believe there is no need to shove good news at others unless they want to hear. I was an athiest for 30 years, my parents were hippies. I questioned the whole GOD thing. Then I had some problems and a friend reccommended Jesus to me. Not the religious, orderly, heirarchy, organization/corporation that I had been rejecting .... but the spiritual teachings of Jesus. Check them out, without everything all these other fools tell you. It will speak to you specifically. Thanks.

[fuzzywzhe]

oh, I'm not religious - I'm an atheist.

I just respect Jains, they are the only religion that actually seems to make their believers, better people. Who could reasonably, rationally, or morally object to that?

Unfortunately, most of the world. That's the insanity of religion to me.

[superiorgreen]

Hope that Jainism works out, if it does not email me. If they believe in building up your fellow men rather than destroying them, they are closer to the truth than most.

[superiorgreen]

Jesus says many will come in his name, and he will reject them saying he never knew them. Love is the fulfillment of the Law. The goal is love. Period. That is all Jesus taught. He warned of decievers and being decieved. You will know them by their fruits if they are Christian, as Jesus said. Today most follow the wisdom of men as Jesus said they would ...... condemnation, hatred, vengance, destruction, theft, greed, accusation, mistrust, murder, deception. ...."The love of men will grow cold".

[superiorgreen]

Correct.