SPACE IN MINIATURE

X-20 Dyna Soar

• First Flight: Never flown
• Mission: Proposed Delta-winged space glider
• Power Source: Titan III booster
• Wing Span: 20ft, 5in (6.22m)
• Length: 35ft, 4in (10.77)

The Dyna Soar program grew out of concepts first proposed by Eugen Sänger, a German scientist, in the 1930's. Sänger envisioned a winged aircraft boosted to near-orbital speeds above the earth's atmosphere by a rocket engine. It would then skip along the outer reaches of the atmosphere like a flat stone on water until it slowed to a normal glide speed for landing. The term "boost-glide vehicle" was born. The range of the aircraft would be greatly extended by the skipping action, as would the maneuverability.

The Dyna Soar program, designed for the U.S.A.F., evolved from the aircraft community rather than the missile community. The Dyna Soar was seen as a natural progression of the successful X-series high speed rocket-powered aircraft, and was to have been the first orbital glider, but program was cancelled after the mock-up was completed. Test flights would have included glide drops from B-52, progressing to Titan II & Titan III boosters. The X-20 would have been covered with ceramic heat-resistant material, much like the Space Shuttle.

The Dyna Soar itself would have been developed into Dyna Soar II, III, and Dyna-MOWS (Manned Orbital Weapons System) versions which would have run the gamut of orbital supply, rendezvous and inspection, and orbital bombing. If things had ever taken this course, the Dyna Soar itself, which had severely limited internal payload and volume aside from the single pilot, would probably have been substantially redesigned or replaced by a lifting body design for later phases.

ABOUT THE MODEL

My scratchbuilt model of the X-20 is 1/48 scale (8 & 7/8 inches long) and was carved from insulation grade polyurethane foam. This was then covered in a layer of MagicSculp epoxy putty, sanded smooth, and painted.

Reference links:

• http://users.dbscorp.net/jmustain/x20.htm
• http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/History/Publications/LiftingBodies/ch2_01.html

Image: Side view

Image: Top/front view

Image: Top view