Did The Valkyrie Have A Child?
An interesting story in Aviation Week & Space Technology:
U.S. intelligence agencies may have quietly mothballed a highly classified two-stage-to-orbit spaceplane system designed in the 1980s for reconnaissance, satellite-insertion and, possibly, weapons delivery. It could be a victim of shrinking federal budgets strained by war costs, or it may not have met performance or operational goals.
This two-vehicle “Blackstar” carrier/orbiter system may have been declared operational during the 1990s.
A large “mothership,” closely resembling the U.S. Air Force’s historic XB-70 supersonic bomber, carries the orbital component conformally under its fuselage, accelerating to supersonic speeds at high altitude before dropping the spaceplane. The orbiter’s engines fire and boost the vehicle into space. If mission requirements dictate, the spaceplane can either reach low Earth orbit or remain suborbital.
Neat, neat stuff.
Military Thingies | Mr. Bingley | 
March 6, 2006 1:02 pm
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Bingley-Cool pic. I love that plane. My Dad was a junior officer in the USAF in the late ’50s/early ’60s and he worked as a contracting officer on that project. I think he was responsible for the airframe part. That was some pretty cool stuff for the early ’60s.
It is a gogeous plane. To me the XB-70 (and the SR-71, of course) sums up the cool shoot-for-the-moon attitude of that era.
“It could be a victim of shrinking federal budgets strained by war costs, or it may not have met performance or operational goals.”
“There is … another,” said Yoda.
Ken ~ BWAhahahaha!! Oh, good one!
Hahahaha!
“Boeing was wise to hide her from me…”
Maybe I should amend this and say that she was an organ donor…
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