Project 7969 Designs Credit - © Mark Wade

Lockheed's proposal for the Air Force initial manned space project was a 20 degree semiapex angle cone with a hemispherical tip of 30 cm radius. The pilot was in a sitting position facing rearward. The capsule would be launched by an Atlas-Hustler combination into a 480 km orbit for a 4 hour mission.

Tracking would use the Minitrack System and deorbit would be accomplished by retrorocket providing a 60 m/sec braking impulse. Spacecraft attitude control was by rocket thrusters and electrically-powered motors. The spacecraft was automatic and no pilot intervention was required. Maximum G-forces during re-entry were 8 g's and either ablative or beryllium heat shields could be used. In case of booster failure during ascent to orbit the capsule would eject from the booster. The spacecraft had a ballistic coefficient (W/CdA) of 500 kg per square meter. Landing precision was within a 650 x 30 km footprint. It was expected that a first manned orbital flight could be achieved 24 months after a go-ahead at a cost of $ 10-100 million.

Design Life: 5 hours. Typical orbit: 480 km at 28 deg inclination. Length: 4.26 m (13.97 ft). Maximum Diameter: 2.74 m (8.98 ft). Mass: 1,400 kg (3,000 lb).