NAR News Photo

Image credit: North American Rockwell
Images: NASA, Mike Acs

Permanent Space Station

Image credit: McDonnell Douglas
Image source: Numbers Station

NAR Artist Concept

Planetary Illustrations (artists’ concepts)

Image credit: Krafft Ehricke Papers / North American Rockwell
Image source: NASM

Expendable Second Stage

Image credit: North American Rockwell
Image source: Numbers Station

Preliminary Sketch

Image credit: Convair
Image source: SDASM Archives

NAR / Convair Shuttle

Image credit: Convair
Image source: SDASM Archives

How Recovery System Would Work

  1. ROOST was designed for giant single-stage boosters of future like that in drawings here. The boosters, 50 feet in diameter and 173 feet tall, would weigh 10 million pounds loaded and have a cluster of 12 engines generating a mighty thrust of 12 million pounds.
  2. Booster speeds toward earth orbit carry a 160-ton payload that might be a nuclear stage with a manned capsule for moon or outer-space exploration. Cutaway of the booster shows how the deflated recovery bags are stored.
  3. In earth orbit, payload has separated, and recovery bags popped out from rear of rocket begin to inflate, throwing off protective plates. Here conical bag begins to take shape.
  4. Inflated cone-shaped bag enshrouds rocket while doughnut grips its middle like a choke collar. Booster can remain in orbit 24 hours until triggered for re-entry.
  5. As Roost settles gently in the sea, waiting surface ships pick up the dangling towlines to salvage the costly booster.

Popular Science
July 1963

Image credit: Douglas
Image source: SDASM Archives

Design 532

Image credit: Grumman
Image source: Mike Acs

619 Gallery

Image credit: Grumman
Image source: Mike Acs

Orbiter Landing

Image credit: Grumman
Image source: Mike Acs

Flyback Booster and Orbiter

Image credit: Convair
Image source: SDASM Archives