MURP

American manned spaceplane. The McDonnell Douglas Space Shuttle Phase A studies were conducted under contract NAS9-9204. Their Class I vehicle was dubbed MURP - Manned Upper Reusable Payload.

This was a lifting body spaceplane, accommodating two crew and a mix of payload or up to ten passengers in a 85 cu m pressurized payload bay. The spacecraft was equipped with a 7,570 kgf turbojet engine for subsonic cruise in the atmosphere after re-entry, X-15 type nose wheel + dual aft skid landing gear, a spray-on ablative coating to be reapplied after each mission, and deployable variable geometry wings.

Crew Size: 2.