Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator > Photo # EC99-44921-1 |
X-33 artist concept - 1999 | ||
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Photo Number: | EC99-44921-1 | |
Photo Date: | 1999 | |
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Formats: | 541x480 JPEG Image (114 KBytes) 1156x1024 JPEG Image (483 KBytes) 3000x2656 JPEG Image (3,842 KBytes) |
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Description: |
An artist's conception of the half scale X-33 demonstrator flying over the southwestern desert. The vehicle was a wedge-shaped lifting body, with two vertical fins and a pair of stub wings. On the fins are the Lockheed-Martin Skunk Works logo, which was the prime contractor. At the rear is the aerospike engine, an experimental design that lacked the nozzles of conventional rockets. The X-33 tested several other new technologies, including composite structures and a metallic thermal protection system. It was hoped that these advances would lead eventually to an operational single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle called the VentureStar. However, due to technical problems with the composite liquid hydrogen tank, the X-33 program was cancelled in February 2001. |
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Keywords: | X-33 Images |
Dryden Home > Collections > Photo Home > X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator > Photo # EC99-44921-1 |
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Last Modified: February 6, 2002 |