Dave Spain wrote:
Umm, the USAF wasn't as convinced as you seem to be. The X-20 DynaSoar
program mounted a winged vehicle atop a Titan III

On 3/25/2013 3:33 PM, Jeff Findley wrote:..
But as NASA found out with Ares I, it's not as easy as they'd like
it to be. Case rupture of a large solid, resulting in a debris cloud
of relatively large, relatively dense, relatively hot pieces of solid
propellant, is an issue to be dealt with most carefully.

Interestingly enough, it was again a USAF study that pointed out that
risk. For Ares I this was a significant problem because it required that
the Orion capsule return through that field with a recovery system that
relies on nylon parachutes. Since Titan III also used strap-on solid
boosters it would be interesting to see what the recovery flight profile
of the X20 was to have been. Note one significant difference, the X-20
was a glider with a titanium skin.

Even so, I think you and I agree that for manned spaceflight, solid
rocket boosters are preferably an issue not to be dealt with at all.

Dave