Robert Truax was an American engineer who helped develop a number of ballistic missiles for the navy and worked on Evel Knievel's Rocket for his snake river canyon jump. In the 80s Truax was working on building a rocket in his back yard from surplus parts. The Navy ended up buying it at 80% complete to use it for some kind of testing. What would happen if Truax succeeded and private space flight became a thing in the late 80s early 90s rather then mid 2000s. What might it look like?
Robert Truax first private spacecraft
- Thread starter viperzero
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Robert Truax proposed in 1963 "Sea Dragon" a gigantic two stage rocket that use pressure feed engine
his idea was to build the rocket out robust material like Steel in Ship yard, install payload and pull out to open ocean there the rocket is fueled and launch out water into space.
NASA was very skeptical toward this idea, so they check the number there self, with surprise it could work !
but NASA had no need for a Monster rocket that bring 550 metric tons in low earth orbit
Truax had scaled down the rocket, but NASA take the Space Shuttle
in 1990s he try with the Excalibur rocket for 55 metric tons in low earth orbit.
his idea was to build the rocket out robust material like Steel in Ship yard, install payload and pull out to open ocean there the rocket is fueled and launch out water into space.
NASA was very skeptical toward this idea, so they check the number there self, with surprise it could work !
but NASA had no need for a Monster rocket that bring 550 metric tons in low earth orbit
Truax had scaled down the rocket, but NASA take the Space Shuttle
in 1990s he try with the Excalibur rocket for 55 metric tons in low earth orbit.