Black Space Crafts

I am not talking about UFO's here, I am talking about man made Lifting bodies, Xplanes, Shuttles, Rockets, Re-entry vehicles, landers, anything that is capable of carrying a man to or from space.

I am starting a mini research project on black space craft after I get back from vacation next week and I am looking for all the information I can get on "Black Space Craft" or declassified space craft.

If you want to help on the project post in this thread, or PM me and will talk from there. I won't be able to get started on it until next week. So far I think were just looking at a website and maybe a thread here on ATS to share our findings. I would also like to have an decent sized photo archive, like the "pictures from the inside of area 51" thread.

I am not asking for anyone to do my research for me, I am just trying to get started on the right foot.


[edit on 15-7-2005 by iksmodnad]

The Dyna-Soar would be a good one to start out with.

Actually that was the first thing I had in mind, I want to go deeper than the Dyna-Soar though, but I do plan to cover it.

Thanks for the info keep it coming.

Try Encyclopedia Astronautica and the Area 51 Special Projects website.

This is a great idea for a project.

There is also something over on Popular Science about a saucer-shaped re-entry vehicle.

Don't forget Orion.

just a few questions for ya iksmodnad

are you looking for things that carry people only...meaning not sats.?

and are you looking for concrete real stuff only or mock-ups and concepts as well?

Military only? or civilian to?

and when you say space, are you refering to any craft that can get above 62 miles?

Good questions, I am looking for manned space vehicles only, Although I do plan to touch on unmanned space aircraft.

I did not originally plan to cover mock ups but its a good idea I guess we can add a section to that.

Lastly I want to focus mainly on "Black Space Craft" but I do plan to go over civilian and domestic space craft, such as spaceship one, and NASA's Space Shuttle(s) Winkipedia seems to be a good place to start with the space shuttles.

en.wikipedia.org...

Who would of ever thought that Atlantis has been doing secrete missions for the DOD since 1985

en.wikipedia.org...

When I say space I mean something that is capable of leaving our planet. I can touch up on other types of high altitude craft though.

I also don't know a whole lot about most of this stuff, so keep in mind I too am learning this as I read.

As for area 51, I want to cover it, but only from a fact based aspect, that means no UFO's or Aliens. The Aurora and other test vehicles may be acceptable, depending on how much evidents there is to support they may be real.

[edit on 16-7-2005 by iksmodnad]

The rumoured TR-3B is the only thing that comes to mind, technically more of a UFO, but if they indeed had this, there would be no need for a black space shuttle.

There was a proposal for a USAF version of the Apollo LM as an Earth-orbit combat spacecraft, but I don't think it ever got anywhere near production. The Air Force wasn't too keen on it, Grumman traditionally being a Navy contractor (the Grumman and AF high muckety-mucks didn't even belong to the same golf clubs, the idea was doomed from the start).

There are rumors that the USAF had their own Shuttle spaceframe floating around (maybe more than one) that never got completed. There was a whole Shuttle launch facility set up at Vandenburg AFB, but it was abandoned after Challenger blew up. Shuttle was in fact designed with USAF cross-range requirements in mind, one of the reasons it never ended up being quite as reusable as originally intended.

[edit on 7/17/05 by xmotex]

You can start here and I will be very happy to see new information co complete this topic.

Well I am back and ready to start the project. I will start to outline it tomorrow but would still like to give this thread some more time.

I am thinking of calling the project "Dark Star" but it depends on what the team decides. Thanks for all the encouragement and I will do my best to get factual and honest information.

[edit on 21-7-2005 by iksmodnad]

I suggest you start here. The official home of every X-plane project.

www.dfrc.nasa.gov...

Dryden Research Center - NASA

possible, but at the end of the day they wouldn't make it... The black colour=trying to keep out of sights... And shuttles aren't war material... The white colour will win because it is easier to see in the space and on the ground... (in case of emergency)

Well if you want black space craft you can't do better than Polyus

Black Space craft is really just an expression meaning top secrete or experimental, It does not mean they have to literally be black.

A good starting Point might be the USAF Lenticular Reentry Vehicle. The LRV was a project to create a Top Secret, Nuclear-powered Space Plane that could be used to deliver a nuclear payload against targets in the former USSR (Russia). This Strange-looking, disk-shaped, space craft had a crew of four and the ability to launch missiles from the edge of space. Noone really knows what happened to the LRV Project, it might still exist in some other fourm. Here a Link:

Lenticular Reentry Vehicle

This is one of the most mysterious Military spacecraft ever! If you find anything good, Let us know!

Tim

There were plans to run Black RPject Shuttle Launches out of Vandenburg in the 80s. the idea was that it was easier to go into polar orbit with the shuttle from there. They had the gantry up and everything. All of a sudden they changed their minds. I always wondered in there was something secret in that change of mind.

Just so every one knows I have been extremely busy lately and may not get around to this for awhile. Please keep contributing information though. It should be a great start for whenever the project goes live.

Originally posted by soulforge

There were plans to run Black RPject Shuttle Launches out of Vandenburg in the 80s. the idea was that it was easier to go into polar orbit with the shuttle from there. They had the gantry up and everything. All of a sudden they changed their minds. I always wondered in there was something secret in that change of mind.

It was nothing exciting in the change of heart for launches from Vandenburg, the military simply stopped buying Shuttle rides for payloads after Challenger blewup. Because of the safety changes required to payloads after Challenger (even tho the payload had nothing to do with it), the military sats couldnt go up with the fuelload required at that time, so the military switched to unmanned launch vehicles instead to get the best deal.

I work with a retired Naval Intelligence officer that actually saw the Black Space Shuttle take off. He has mentioned that it flew very often, even after the the first shuttle disaster when other shuttles were grounded. This is a reputable individual and I trust what he tells me to be fact. The media were warned to never report said launches to the public. Everytime this thing went up it carried a highly classified cargo. He says he does not know if it is still in use but he swears it existed.

[edit on 1-8-2005 by Yorga]

[edit on 1-8-2005 by Yorga]

I am skeptical and I will tell you why.

Vandenberg is easily viewed. Even ICBM shots can be seen as far north as the SF Bay area. Hard to explain...

Its a pretty big hit for a black budget to absorb with eacah space shot running $$$$$$ numbers of dollars.

The facilites at Vandenberg are no where near what NASA uses for "routine" shuttle ops etc.