RAF Manned Capsule

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Grif

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I have heard somewhere that the Royal air Force issued a specification around 1960-odd for a manned space capsule, but it's still classified - does anyone know anything about this, and could a "Freedom of Information" request get it into public knowledge?
Grif
 
I think FOIA only applies to US documents. I'm not sure how it works out for UK documents. But good luck on that.

Moonbat
 
There is apparently a British equivalent to the US FOIA. If you're interested in pursuing this, then you're going to have to do some research on the UK laws.

However, in these cases, blind shots in the dark are not the best approach. Do some research ahead of time and try to figure out exactly what you are looking for and who is likely to have it. Sometimes you don't have to make a formal request at all and documents are already declassified but in a collection, or simply not made public. So if you do some legwork ahead of time you may dramatically increase your chances of getting the information.
 
It's not unheard of for copies and commentary on British projects to be hiding in US archives.
FOIA may well be relevant - the problem, as above, is knowing where to look.

Regards

Fred
 
fredgell said:
It's not unheard of for copies and commentary on British projects to be hiding in US archives.
FOIA may well be relevant - the problem, as above, is knowing where to look.
Click to expand...

That's like looking under the streetlight for your keys because that's where the light is. If you want to find information on British projects, look in British archives, not American ones.
 
blackstar said:
fredgell said:
It's not unheard of for copies and commentary on British projects to be hiding in US archives.
FOIA may well be relevant - the problem, as above, is knowing where to look.
Click to expand...

That's like looking under the streetlight for your keys because that's where the light is. If you want to find information on British projects, look in British archives, not American ones.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you're looking for. I'd suggest that its more than likely easier to research joint UK/US projects in the US Archives than in the British Archives. BTW, there have been several well researched Australian/US joint intelligence projects and bases which have been far easier to research in the US archives because of the Australian security classifications which ensure such things remain "black" for ever, essentially. Professor Des Ball made quite a lucrative living out of publishing such things until he was co-opted by the US DoD and decided that it was more lucrative working on the inside of the tent.
 
rickshaw said:
blackstar said:
fredgell said:
It's not unheard of for copies and commentary on British projects to be hiding in US archives.
FOIA may well be relevant - the problem, as above, is knowing where to look.
Click to expand...

That's like looking under the streetlight for your keys because that's where the light is. If you want to find information on British projects, look in British archives, not American ones.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you're looking for. I'd suggest that its more than likely easier to research joint UK/US projects in the US Archives than in the British Archives. BTW, there have been several well researched Australian/US joint intelligence projects and bases which have been far easier to research in the US archives because of the Australian security classifications which ensure such things remain "black" for ever, essentially. Professor Des Ball made quite a lucrative living out of publishing such things until he was co-opted by the US DoD and decided that it was more lucrative working on the inside of the tent.
Click to expand...

The RAF looked at manned capsules in the fifties. No details other than in one case they were considered for launching when attached to a space station. For the reason that at that time it was not certain if it was possible for two vehicles to orbit and dock with any degree of certainty. Interesting because the OR was for ten man crew to give twenty four hour mission coverage so it could have been a big return capsule? An eight RZ2 launch vehicle was considered necessary for this mission.
By the end of the fifties it must have been thought possible to dock because the effort was switching to a modular built space station serviced either with smaller manned space capsules or the preferred solution with two Space Planes on station at any one time to maintain a rota to for all year coverage. Just look at 6A and 6B gantries sized to cater for the space plane and cargo craft and the main effort had switched to the Four and Five RZ2 boosters as a more flexible economic solution

I have had to use American sources and private UK archives. The official UK archives have been to well weeded to be of any real use.
 
May be related or derived:
Barrington Bond said:
Hawker Siddeley Advanced Projects Group Observation Satellite. Flugkorper 1960 Heft 10.
Click to expand...
hs-observation-satellte-jpg.226343

EDIT: Fixed broken image link. Original post here.
 
Last edited:
There was actually an OR - 9001.

In the PRO, you will find a very long study for the vehicle in question carried out by the RAE. Like most RAE studies, it was completely divorced from reality. Here's a pic:
 

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There is a brief outline of OR.9001 and OR.9002 (counter satellite system) in BSP.4. As CNH says, the RAE were somewhat divorced from reality. There was also a (possibly) more realistic OR.9003 for a recon sat/vehicle.

Chris
 
Amy weights and dimensions for the spaceplane?
 
CNH said:
There was actually an OR - 9001.

In the PRO, you will find a very long study for the vehicle in question carried out by the RAE. Like most RAE studies, it was completely divorced from reality. Here's a pic:
Click to expand...


Great find CNH.
 
Here a RAF space Capsule
index.php

it's from the 1962 british Royal tournament, were the British military force present them self
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8119.msg151833.html#msg151833
 
Was for one or two astronauts?
Was capable of rendez vous,docking with target vehicles,EVAs?
 
On a tangent: http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1363.0.html
 
Tom Kerr said the RAF space-plane was still embryonic,---Three crew, spacemen, three week sortie or Five man ferry mission to space station, and very much bigger. The Tournament was for public consumption, entertainment so the capsule in the photo was make-believe. The suit real, the helmet???

carmelo said:
Was for one or two astronauts?
Was capable of rendez vous,docking with target vehicles,EVAs?
Click to expand...
 
Spark said:
Tom Kerr said the RAF space-plane was still embryonic,---Three crew, spacemen, three week sortie or Five man ferry mission to space station, and very much bigger. The Tournament was for public consumption, entertainment so the capsule in the photo was make-believe. The suit real, the helmet???
Click to expand...


So fare i know, is the Suit and helmet, a real desgin for high altitude suit prototype for RAF
 
Hi,
Both real, but they do not appear to match, may be I am Wrong but the appear to be different generations?


Michel Van said:
Spark said:
Tom Kerr said the RAF space-plane was still embryonic,---Three crew, spacemen, three week sortie or Five man ferry mission to space station, and very much bigger. The Tournament was for public consumption, entertainment so the capsule in the photo was make-believe. The suit real, the helmet???
Click to expand...


So fare i know, is the Suit and helmet, a real desgin for high altitude suit prototype for RAF
Click to expand...
 
Hi the suit has the "Handbag" for emergency decompression on a aircraft,
or Space station, or Re enrty vehicle. Could have been used with a leotard like suit.!!!



Barrington Bond said:
Is it not this suit, Full Pressure Suit Type B, with perhaps one of the two helmets on the right?
Click to expand...
 
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Frankenstein Type 51: Destination Moon.

After the testing of the Normalair bizarre suit, RAE took a further step ordering two more full pressure suits. They collaborated with Frankenstein and Sons Ltd. in designing their Type 51 suit and…
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