National Aero-Space Plane - NASP - X-30

This wonderful image was posted here back in 2006, but here's the blurb that went with it in the August 1992 issue of Popular Mechanics.

So much of the press coverage of the X-30 was focused on the "5 minutes to Tokyo!" civilian transport plan, so all I can see in this pic is the pilots Noping out and dumping a fuselage full of hydrogen and screaming commuters.
 

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This wonderful image was posted here back in 2006, but here's the blurb that went with it in the August 1992 issue of Popular Mechanics.

So much of the press coverage of the X-30 was focused on the "5 minutes to Tokyo!" civilian transport plan, so all I can see in this pic is the pilots Noping out and dumping a fuselage full of hydrogen and screaming commuters.

Well this IS the "X-30" or test article. Though to be fair this wasn't the design at the time, they design at this point had the crew buried in the fuselage due to heating issues :)

Randy
 

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Oddly the second slide represents something really similiar to rumored AURORA rather the real X-30's configuration...
 
A McDAC incarnation, a bit chewed up
Slightly better version (tighter/different crop) of the airport pic in this. I took it from a booklet/pamphlet (don't think it was strictly NASP, could have been UTC maybe?) I found online a good while back and for the life of me can't find the same
This is McDonnell Douglas photo D4C-120811.
 

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Actually, with the high level of probability, *this* is final X-30 confuguration.
At least Pratt&Whitney paper authors state so.

NASP configuration labeled "c202" so seems "converged" a202 was just a start of many others
 

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View attachment 698337
not entirely sure but I have this saved as a Lockheed NASP proposal
Lockheed credited this image to "United States Air Force Systems Command" so I wonder if that can help us find this image in better quality, more images of this design or any details if this was more than just a one and done idea painting
 
55ba52a1c1885780_large

Model of transatmospheric vehicle (TAV); aerospace plane capable of traveling at hypersonic speed conceived by NASA & Dept. of Def.
 
That screams Orient Express.

When I see “TAV” I think of something smaller—though the term is technically correct.
 
Clipboard01.jpg
House Science and Technology Committee

High Speed Aeronautics​

Witnesses testified on the different challenges facing the development of high speed transports and transatmospherics flight.
Including input from
Robert Cooper Doctor DARPA
Robert Williams Program Manager Department of Defense->Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Marc Constantine Vice President Aerojet

Airing Details​

Jul 24, 1985 | 1:00am EDT | C-SPAN 1
 
A nice cutaway of the X-30 and Astronaut Joe Engle in NASP mockup cockpit.
 

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Unfamiliar with this cockpit simulator for NASP. I believe its possibly a Rockwell concept.
 

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