Dyna-Soar in space was never to be, for the program was canceled in December 1963. One of reasons was the development of a new type of aerospace plane, the lifting body.
Orbiting Stations: Stopovers to Space Travel
Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1965
Image credit: Boeing
Image source: Numbers Station
Electrostatic ion-powered five-man spacecraft passing over Mars’ moon Phobos on the way to Mars. One of two “scout cars” will land on the tiny moon and rendezvous with the ship later.
Mars: Planet for Conquest
by Erik Bergaust
G.P Putnam’s Sons, 1967
Rocketdyne
Image source: Numbers Station
First manned landing on Mars! This Northrop sketch shows how a soft landing on the red planet might look from ground level. A steerable gliding cloverleaf parachute slows the craft down as the retrorockets start to fire. The parachute is then jettisoned, and the retrorockets perform the final maneuver for touchdown. Retrorocket braking was perfected in the 1960’s to provide the soft landings for the Surveyor moon probe.
Project Viking: Space Conquest Beyond the Moon
by Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970
Image credit: NASA
Image source: Numbers Station
Project Viking: Space Conquest Beyond the Moon
by Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970
Image credit: NASA
Image source: Numbers Station
Prime goal of Project Viking is this National Aeronautics and Space Administration sketch, to land a biological laboratory on the surface of Mars. The picture shows a design in which the protective housing around the experiments unfolds in petal fashion once the laboratory is safely on the Martian surface.
Project Viking: Space Conquest Beyond the Moon
by Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970
Image credit: NASA
Image source: Numbers Station
Project Viking: Space Conquest Beyond the Moon
by Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1970
Image credit: NASA
Image source: Numbers Station
Image credit: USAF
Image source: AFMC
Three-armed LORL is shown in this artist’s sketch. Center hub, which contains parking area for several space ferries, does not rotate and thus remains weightless. Under the parking area is a laboratory for study of weightlessness. The three arms rotate around the hub to create artificial gravity. Cutaway of one arm shows it to contain a series of rooms for other laboratory requirements and studies.
Orbiting Stations: Stopovers to Space Travel
Irwin Stambler
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1965
Image credit: Lockheed
Image source: Numbers Station
A spaceport and supply rocket designed by the Martin Marietta Corporation in mid-air in this scene from the Hall of Science space show. In such a port, astronauts may orbit for half a year.
New York World’s Fair 1964/1965
Official Souvenir Book
Time Life, 1964
Image credit: Martin Marietta
Image source: Numbers Station
The pod descends on parachutes and the crew flies to it’s preselected landing site.
Space World
April 1965, VOL. B-4.18
Image credit: TRW
Image source: Numbers Station
