USAF X-20 Dyna-Soar

[tmorley]

I recently acquired an Estes Titan IIIE and while reading the Spaceship Handbook by ARA press I was reminded of the Dyna-Soar. The handbook has plans for a fun-scale version of the Dyna-Soar the same scale as the Titan, 1:73. A Titan III was one of the proposed boosters for the Dyna-Soar. I used ideas from the plans and pieces from a Japanese card model, for the foundation of what I've constructed. I could make it a boost glider, but at this time I'm just planning on making it non-gliding. A BT-20 core tube will allow me to adapt it to the booster. I could adapt it to the IIIE with some attention to stability, but I think I'll build a 1:73 Titan II based around a BT-60 for the booster. A Titan II with large fins for stability was proposed as one of the boosters for the real hardware and low orbit missions. Thanks for looking.

 

[tmorley]

Here's what the final build will hopefully look like.

 

[hokkyokusei]

Very cool. I still have one of Sandman's X20 nosecone kits "in the pile".
Looks good on top of a Saturn I too:
https://www.astronautix.com/graphics/x/x20sat1m.jpg

 

[sandman]

Here's what the final build will hopefully look like.

The Titan II Dyna Soar was the suborbital arrangement.

The Titan III was the orbital proposal.

Here are a bunch more ideas. I like the Saturn 1B.

The flight pic is my Deuce version.

 

[tmorley]

Very nice.

 

[sid]

The Titan 2 needs a cluster mount for a scale look, or . . a Fliskits Deuce's Wild engine mount for fun!

 

[tmorley]

A cluster would be more correct, but I think I'll likely just do a single for my booster.

Here's an image for one possibility for what the Dyna-Soar and Titan III configuration might have looked like. The fins were added for stability. This diagram is for a model that was being tested.

 

[dtomko]

Tim,

Your X-20 looks fantastic. Keep the photos coming!

I started a Titan III X-20 last year and got pretty far with it:

www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?t=32005&highlight=Titan+III+x-20

I haven't done much with it lately because the weight was becoming a real issue. I plan to add clear plastic fins, and as you know, they will have to be big ones. It's all 18 mm and I am not sure what combo of motors will lift it. I still have to work out the attachments for the strap ons.

Drew

 

[tmorley]

Holy cow! :surprised: Your booster looks fantastic! If it were mine I'd fly it but would be tempted to retire it for display soon afterwards. Everything should fly atleast once, that's what they are made for.

Looks like you found the same paper model I did for the X-20. I considered building it with the printed paper skin similar to you, but I decided to build it plain with a flat balsa wing and paint it. If I do decide to build a Titan III instead of a II, I'm going to use the fin arrangement the USAF was testing. I don't think I'll tackle the detail you have though.

I decided the X-20 I built looks like it would fly like a brick, so I think I'll just stick with a non-gliding version.

Keep up the great work on your's.