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Star Raker Spaceship Concept Could Have Changed the World, CGI Video Shows How

Because of the way initial machines meant to take humans beyond the borders of our planet were made, we presently cannot envision spaceflight as starting any other way than by means of vertical rockets launching from a pad. Sure, Virgin Galactic is trying to challenge the order of things, but chances are vertical, multi-stage machines will continue to be used on a large scale.
Rockwell Star Raker animation 10 photos
Photo: Hazegrayart
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The current status quo does not mean other concepts were not tried in the early days of space exploration. One company that did that was Rockwell International, makers of aircraft hits such as the B-1 Lancer and parent company to Rocketdyne, supplier of engines for the Apollo-era Saturn rockets and the space shuttle.

Back in the late 1970s, Rockwell tried to change the way things were done by coming up with something we generally refer to as the Star Raker. Shaped like an airplane, it was meant to function as such for a while, then shoot out into space like a rocket.

The idea behind the concept was simple. Instead of using massive rockets to get off the ground, the Star Raker would take off like a conventional airplane, reach a set altitude, and then perform a series of maneuvers that would have placed it into a more direct climb into orbit.

The plane would have achieved this by using ten ramjet engines, each capable of developing 140,000 pounds of thrust, and an additional three hydrogen-fuelled rocket engines that could deliver 1.06 million pounds of thrust for a short time.

For reasons that are no longer relevant, the Star Raker never got to be made, so the world still works the way it does. To give us a taste of what could have been though, CGI specialist Hazegrayart published last week a video showing the spaceship in action, in all its glory. You can enjoy it below this text.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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