X-15 as Shuttle

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Vitruvius

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I ran across a book that was printed in 1959, by Julian May entitled "Show Me the World of space Travel. The dust jacket shows an astronaut in an X-15 Spacesuit and helmet pointing out to a typlically 1950s 7-8 year old boy and girl a silver X-15 mounted Space Shuttle style on the side of an Atlas missile . Since I have Mr. Always plans for a 1/73rd scale Mercury/Atlas, I've decided to build a copy of the vehicle on the Dust Jacket. Interestingly enough, at one point, the X-15 WAS considered for a Shuttle like ship. The main difference being was that the X-15 would have been launched from the ground by a set of rockets from an angled launch pad. I'm looking forward to seeing how this comes out as the 1st one will have the X-15 permanently mounted to the Atlas. Once I get that flight corrected, I'll modify it so the X-15 can glide back separately. Cheers!
 
A manned Navaho? that would be NEAT!

Unless you were the test pilot! Not the most reliable bird ever flown and whenever you're in a meeting and get told "we'll just wedge you in where the nuclear warhead normally goes" you're not having a good day 🤣

On the other hand a Fireball XL-5 on the side of an Atlas... now you're talking!
 
Unless you were the test pilot! Not the most reliable bird ever flown and whenever you're in a meeting and get told "we'll just wedge you in where the nuclear warhead normally goes" you're not having a good day 🤣

On the other hand a Fireball XL-5 on the side of an Atlas... now you're talking!
Yup to both!. The problem is the XL-5 is about 3 times the length of the Atlas, LOL!
 
Unless you were the test pilot! Not the most reliable bird ever flown and whenever you're in a meeting and get told "we'll just wedge you in where the nuclear warhead normally goes" you're not having a good day 🤣

Isn't that pretty much the whole Gemini program? o_O
 
For those who wish to build and fly a smaller version of the above Atlas/X-15, You may buy the B-52 kit from "Fiddlers' Green.net" as it has a smaller version of the X-15 as part of the kit.
 
Cool that's a neat combination. I know some of the early shuttle concepts looked more like this, untill the USAF got more involved and the delta wings were needed for polar orbit landing cross range. Excited to see your build pictures.
 
MAG-FREAKING OUT-NIFICENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, how about a tutorial as to how You did it, PULEASE??????????????????????
Just like Michalengelo, I simply started with a block of foam and removed everything that did not look like an Atlas Missile and an X-15:)
 
That is amazing....
But I want to see what the pilot is POINTING at. It is off to the left of the picture and clearly it makes that boy go, "Woah" when compared to the X-15 on a booster.
 
That is amazing....
But I want to see what the pilot is POINTING at. It is off to the left of the picture and clearly it makes that boy go, "Woah" when compared to the X-15 on a booster.
Approx, You make a VERY good point (pun unintended, btw). I am going to make a W.A.G. that since the children are looking the same way as the pilot is pointing and looking, he is pointing at another X-15 landing. It just a Wild A. Guess. What say the rest of You?
Another point no one has mentioned is that the artist did up the X-15 in A.D.C. Grey!!!!!!!!!!! The book by Mays was published 1 Jan 1959 so it may not be A.D.C. Gray as I understand the A.D.C. Grey didn't really start until sometime in 1960 and I'm sure that the art work for the dustjacket was done in 1959. Comments, anyone?
 
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