Winged Saturn V
Program · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
North American's study was dated 18 March 1963. The second alternative was a two-stage reusable booster derived from the Saturn V. This would boost either an 11,400 kg cargo, or a half-disc lifting body spaceplane, which would accommodate two crew plus ten passengers and minor cargo
The next S-IC flyback booster study was made in 1963 by NASA-MSFC in collaboration with Boeing. The Boeing 922-12 had wings with span of 45 m and 930 sq m area. The wingtip fins provided a total vertical area of 85 sq m each. A manned cockpit would have been just ahead of the left wing. The underwing jet engine pods would have housed 6 x J93-F3 engines or 8 x J58's. The wings were separable and could be flown without the S-IC or used to ferry stock S-IC stages. MSFC estimated use of the wings as a flyback booster would cut the two-stage Saturn IC/Saturn II payload by 20%. Recovery of the S-II stage was also considered, but this would have reduced payload by 70%.
Similar concepts were later proposed by MSFC (1967), Convair (1967), and then for Shuttle Phase B (Grumman 1971). They continued to be dusted off occasionally right to the end of the 20th Century...
LEO Payload: 80,000 kg (176,000 lb) to a 300 km orbit at 28.00 degrees.
Related
- Family
- orbital launch vehicle, Winged
- Country
- USA
- Agency
- Boeing
- Bibliography
- 279