I remember in the early 80s reading something about a military version of the space shuttle..I think it was supposed to be black in color. After that I have never heard of it again..It was during the Reagan era...So those crazy people were spending billons on Star Wars missle defense and stuff like that, so I wouldn't put it past Reagan to blow billions on a secret shuttle.
I was just wondering has anyone else heard of it. If you know anything please let me know...
2007-11-11 13:22:40 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
There was talk, during the initial development of the Space Shuttle, of procuring vehicles for military use, primarily, operating manned surveilance stations in orbit around the Earth. However, it would be nearly impossible to keep the existence of such a vehicle secret, given the huge logistics involved with operating a Shuttle, and the fact that any modern country could observe the vehicle in orbit. The cost would also have far surpassed that of equally capable unmanned satellites. Realizing this, military planners gave up on the idea.
This hasn't, however, kept the conspiracy-theory community from speculating on the existence of a militarized Shuttle.
2007-11-11 13:45:44 · answer #1 · answered by Harry 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the shuttle IS (or was) the military!!!
"In August 1981, the US rejected a Soviet offer to discuss a draft space weapons control treaty (Draft Treaty on the Prohibition of the Stationing of Weapons of Any Kind in Outer Space), which the Soviets had presented to the UN General Assembly as a supplement to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967
the US rejected it because it also prohibited the use of the space shuttle as a military system"
so far it seems that the shuttle has been used quite a bit to deliver military payloads in space.
by it's practice it IS a military system.
"Reagan's NSDD-42 designated the space shuttle as the primary launch system for the US national security space program. It directed DOD and NASA to develop the shuttle into a fully operational, cost-effective system."
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-18/au180040.htm
2007-11-11 13:43:17 · answer #2 · answered by Mercury 2010 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, sort of.
A launch pad for the Shuttle was built at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California where the military planned to launch it to polar orbit. But the shuttle launched there would be the same regular shuttle that is launching from Florida now, no special shuttle was built. But the launch pad was never used and all launches to polar orbit now use regular expendable rockets like the Atlas or Delta.
2007-11-11 13:38:53 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Has there ever been an incident considering the fact that area trip and exploration has began the place a spaceship or trip develop into lost in area and by no capacity recovered or heard from back? An occasion could be Pioneer 10. area injuries, the two throughout the time of operations or training for spaceflights, have killed 22 astronauts , and a lots greater effective form of floor team.
2016-09-29 01:17:32 · answer #4 · answered by chappel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you referring to Dyna-Soar? It was a conceptual spacecraft meant to be launched from a Titan rocket. But then NASA wanted the Air Force to design (or supply, forgot) the space shuttle's SRBs. Then the Air Force said the shuttle would then have to increase the dimensions of its payload bays and able to land in California during emergencies.
As a result, NASA had to redesign its shuttle. One of the new features replaced straight wings with the now recognizable delta wings. So I guess in a way, our shuttles are military as well as civilian, partially inspired by the Air Force.
2007-11-11 14:40:08 · answer #5 · answered by Bao Pham 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes .... but I can't tell you any more.
2007-11-11 13:30:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋