Republic Aviation Recoverable Booster Airplane proposal for SR-181 'Strategic Orbital System'

Dew

Dew

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from ARDC TR-59-64 Advanced Concepts Study, Final Report. from USAF FOIA reading room. (edit: PDF split & now attached)

A JT11-7A powered Booster Airplane launches a rocket vehicle & satellite payload with two solid fuelled stages and a storable liquid propellant third and fourth stages.
Whoever scanned the pictures obviously didn't have convenient access to a larg(er) format scanner so just called it a day!

Recoverable Booster - Launcher Design No. 1.jpg Recoverable Booster - Launcher Design No. 2.jpg
Satellite Launching Rocket.jpg Recoverable Booster Airplane.jpg

Also contains mention of an 'informal proposal to develop a system to launch a 120-pound-payload satellite in a circular orbit of over 1000 miles. This system uses the F-105 fighter-bomber as the launch vehicle, and existing rocket motors (e.g., Polaris and Vanguard components) as ballistic stages.'
 

Attachments

  • ARDC TR NR. 59-64 (I).pdf
    10.3 MB · Views: 58
  • ARDC TR NR. 59-64 (II).pdf
    12.6 MB · Views: 55
  • ARDC TR NR. 59-64 (III).pdf
    14.9 MB · Views: 58
  • ARDC TR NR. 59-64 (IV).pdf
    3.5 MB · Views: 33
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A very nice document. You mention it is from the "USAF FOIA reading room" but I do not see anything like that at efoia.cce.af.mil Therefore, could you be more specific please where this came from? Reason for asking is that there might similar documents there and I'd like to look around a bit.
While I do I have a list of a dozen or more SR-181 document titles, contractors and numbers, I just wonder whether there is another place to learn more.
 
Dew said:
Click to expand...
Um, yes, that is where I looked. The search for "ARDC" does not give any results. Manually I went through 17 pages of "History" and and 27 of folder "Reports" but I do not see the ones you posted. Nothing on discover.dtic.mil either. I must be missing something.
Anyway, I was just hoping for a hint where to find more, if possible at all.
 
Oh drats, how did I missed that gem ? corrected !
P.S. I know how to clean up and stitch together those documents.
 
leovinus2001 said:
Um, yes, that is where I looked. The search for "ARDC" does not give any results. Manually I went through 17 pages of "History" and and 27 of folder "Reports" but I do not see the ones you posted. Nothing on discover.dtic.mil either. I must be missing something.
Anyway, I was just hoping for a hint where to find more, if possible at all.
Click to expand...
Folder Name: *advanced concepts study*
 
Archibald said:
Oh drats, how did I missed that gem ? corrected !
P.S. I know how to clean up and stitch together those documents.
Click to expand...
It was a single pdf, but it required splitting to be able to attach to the forum (41.2mb)
 
 
A F-105 satellite launching system ? makes some limited sense. The Thunderchief was a big powerful brute and, most importantly it had an internal bomb bay. The Able and Scout stages were pretty "narrow" (80 cm diameter, average) so they would fit inside the bay.
en.wikipedia.org

Able (rocket stage) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org

Scout (rocket family) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Scout consisted of Algol + Castor +Antares + Altair. The first two are probably way too large for a F-105, but it might be feasible to create an Antares+Able, put it inside a F-105 bomb bay, and air drop that at Mach 2, 30 degree AoA : which would cancel 1600 m/s out of orbit's 9000 m/s. The paper says 120 pounds of payload, but this is for a 1000 miles high orbit.

Google tells me a Thud could carry up to 6800 kg of bombs. Starts from the Able 1800 kg second stage; then add the largest possible solid-fuel booster out of that, plus the satellite. 4000 kg is not too far from a Castor, Scout stage 2.
 
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Anyone has additional information for the list of SR-181 reports? Missing volumes? Contractors? This is based on sleuthing through "Technical Abstract Bulletins", AF history, Haititrust, etc

Summary: SR-181 STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM

Question: Who had ARDC TR-59-62 and ARDC TR-59-63 ? ARDC TR-59-61 and ARDC TR-59-64 are below.
Question: Did NAA and Martin do studies as well?
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Unknown contractors at NASA NTRS:

- 19660089145 Strategic orbital system, sr-181, volume i final report 1961
- 19690089109,SR-181 - Program planning report /U/,1960,, Maybe also as AD-341 126 ?

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Other unknown contractor

- AD-341 140, SR-181 STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM, ARDC TR NR 59 57
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Douglas Aircraft ("SM" reports are typical at Douglas Aircraft IIRC)
Study TR-NR-61-159 it seems
- AD-337 659L, VOLUME I, SM 386381 ( WADD TR61 159 ? )
- AD-339 657L, Volume III, SM 38636 ( WADD TR 61 159)
- AD-363 847, SM 35 744

Question: what about AD-337 658 which would sit between Volume 1 and 3 ?
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Republic Aviation Corp. ("RAC" identifier for technical reports)
Study ARDC TR NR. 59-64 per earlier attachments in first post of this thread.

- AD-313 600, "ADVANCED CONCEPTS STUDY, FINAL REPORT", RAC-607-901
- (ASTIA AD?) "SR-181 Report No. 3: Strategic Orbital System Study", Report No. RAC-607-900, Period: 15 May to 30 June 1959; 17 July 1959
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Northrop ( NAI == Northrop Aircraft Inc. Hawthorne CALIF and NOR seems to be "Northrop Corp Hawthorne Calif NORAIR Div")

- AD-383 307, "PROPOSAL FOR STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM STUDY", Report NAI-58-389
- AD-377 490L,"STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEMS STUDY", Report NOR-59-302
- AD-380 620, "STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEMS STUDY", Report NOR-59-390
- AD-380 622, "PROGRAM PLAN FOR STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEMS", Report NOR-59-368
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General Dynamics/Astronautics (GD/A) Contract AF 33(600) 38558
(All with the AZ* reports)

- AD-323 018, Program planning report on SR-181, AZO 002 , 28 Feb 1959, 17 pages
- AD-323 020, Recoverable Booster Study, Summary Presentation, AZM , Nov 1959 , 58 pages
- AD-365 145 , title?, AZO 004 General Dynamics/Astronautics, San Diego AF 33(600) 38558
- AD-365 146 , title?, AZO 005 General Dynamics/Astronautics, San Diego AF 33(600) 38558
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Convair

- SR-181 STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM, FINAL ENGINEERING, VOL I OF III CONVAIR REPORT NO. AE 61-0236. FOR HQ, AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND. DEFINITION AND EVALUATION OF AN EARTH ORBITAL MILITARY SPACE FORCE., EARTH ORBITAL MILITARY SPACE FORCE ORION PROPULSION SPACE LOGISTICS RECONNAISSANCE NAVIGATION SURVEILLANCE COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS SPACE COMMUNICATIONS
- SR-181, STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM, FINAL ENGINEERIN, VOL II OF III, CONVAIR REPORT NO. AE 61-0236. FOR HQ, AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND. COMPILATION OF ANALYTICAL STUDIES FOR MILITARY SPACE.
- SR-181 STRATEGIC ORBITAL SYSTEM STUDY", VOL III OF III
CONVAIR REPORT NO. AE 61-0472. FOR HQ, AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND. FINAL BRIEFING.
----
LOCKHEED/HUGHES ARDC TR-59-61, 09-21-1959

- SR-181 FINAL REPORT, LOCKHEED/HUGHES SPACE FERRY P, APPENDICES TO LOCKHEED REPORT 14028 (IRIS 01032093) MODEL CL-421. LR 14029/LAC 547876.
- SR-181 FINAL REPORT, LOCKHEED/HUGHES SPACE FERRY P, LOCKHEED/HUGHES SPACE FERRY PROGRAM REPORT 14028. LAC/547875 MODEL CL-421. ARDC TR-59-61. SUMMARY REPORT FOR HEADQUARTERS AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND, DIRECTORATE OF SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT., SPACE CONTROL SYSTEMS FERRY SPACECRAFT
- SR181 ADVANCED CONCEPTS STUDY ORAL PRESENTATION CH LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION, CALIFORNIA DIVISION, REPORT NO. 14070, MODEL NO. CL-421, AND LAC/547876-1, FERRY SPACECRAFT
 
leovinus2001 said:
Douglas Aircraft ("SM" reports are typical at Douglas Aircraft IIRC)
Click to expand...
Douglas reports with the "SM" prefix originated at the Santa Monica site. "LB" reports originated at the Long Beach site. "ES" reports originated from the El Segundo site, and TL reports from the TuLsa (Oklahoma) site.
 

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