Jochem Huhmann wrote:
Poster with some in-flight fotos:
http://aesp.nasa.okstate.edu/fieldgu...g/IMG_0525.JPG

Well, that confirms the Quick Draw McGraw connection.

This is a nice concept. Scale the thing up for a larger crew, add a
hatch through the heat-shield and a service/mission module (as the
russian TKS did), and you have something.

But why did they use skids?

With the ability for precision landings you
can land at a runway and use wheels.


I assume they were concerned about winds making it drift off course
during approach.
They thought skids would be more forgiving on a landing on the desert at
Edwards.
There is also the problem of the tires getting hot during reentry and
exploding.
Dyna-Soar was also going to use skids, as was the Soviet Spiral space
fighter.

Pat