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NASA Earth Orbital Space Station

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Numbers Station

Phase A Orbiter by Ron Simpson

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Mike Acs

MDC A by Robert McCall

Our World in Space
Robert McCall & Isaac Asimov
New York Graphic Society, 1974

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: Robert McCall

Image source: Mike Acs

McDAC A Alternate

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Numbers Station

McDonnell Douglas Space Station

Space Station 1970 at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Numbers Station

The Drawbridge

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Mike Acs

Orbiter & Station

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Drawbridge Orbiter

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas

Image source: Mike Acs

Four Space-Shuttle Concepts

Here are examples of tentative designs for a space shuttle, made public by members of the four industrial teams competing in the project:

  1. McDonnell Douglas/Marietta
  2. Boeing/Lockheed
  3. North American/General Dynamics
  4. Grumman Aerospace

Each of pictured space-shuttle versions is a composite craft consisting of two stages, a booster and an orbiter, and is launched vertically like a space rocket, as shown. It’s two stages separate in space, and both return to earth for re-use.

Image credit: Robert McCall

Text and Images: Popular Science

MDAC “Drawbridge”

McDAC A Alternate at Astronautix

Image credit: SDASM Commons