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FDL-5 Hypersonic Research Craft & Launcher (1969) |
RETIRED |
ABOUT THE DESIGN: | ABOUT THE MODEL: | |
In the 1960s, Lockheed
and the U.S. Air Force's Flight Dynamics Laboratory (FDL) explored several
design concepts for hypersonic flight. The three principal vehicles
-- the FDL-5, the FDL-6 and the FDL-7
-- all looked markedly different, although all were based on 70-degree
triangles. The FDL-5 was conceived as an offensive military vehicle. Missions could include carrying military satellites to and from orbit as well as knocking enemy satellites out of commission. The FDL-5 was distinguished by its variable-geometry wings, which could be extended for controlled landings. One proposal called for the craft to be carried aloft in the belly of a C-5 Galaxy transport and then released at high altitude, at which point hydrogen-oxygen liquid fuel boosters would blast it into orbit. Some believe that the FDL-5 actually flew in 1969. If so, this makes the FDL-5 America's first reusable spacecraft! |
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FDL-5 - What You Get |
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