Convair Project 7969
Spacecraft · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Project 7969 ballistic designs. From left: Lockheed; Martin; Aeronutronics; Goodyear; McDonnell; Convair
Credit: © Mark Wade
American manned spacecraft. Study 1958. Convair's proposal for the Air Force initial manned space project involved a large-scale manned space station. When pressed, they indicated that a minimum vehicle - a 450 kg, 1.
6 m diameter sphere - could be launched by an Atlas within a year.
The spacecraft would be boosted by an Atlas Hustler booster into a 270 km orbit. Deorbit would be accomplished by retrorocket. The spacecraft had a ballistic coefficient (m/CdA) of 250 kg per square meter. It was expected that a first manned orbital flight could be achieved 12 months after a go-ahead.
Related
- Family
- Manned spacecraft
- Country
- USA
- Launch Vehicles
- Atlas, Atlas Agena A