STSprog-fut (Star Raker)_v_c_o_TPMBK (ca. 1979, poss. RI-NASA photo)

“One Star-Raker takes off as another undergoes airport servicing. With its landing gear extended, Star-Raker ground clearance would have been 1.52 meters (five feet).”

 

On the landed Star-Raker, note that the door(s) of the main landing gear is/are closed…with the landing gear strut apparently extending through a hole…in the closed door. Interesting, I’d like to see that in operation.

Note also the LAX-like airport.

 

Above & image at/from:

 

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2020/09/star-raker-1978.html

Credit: David S. F. Portree/”No Shortage of Dreams” blog

 

www.astronautix.com/s/star-raker.html

Credit: Astronautix website

 

Also:

 

e05.code.blog/2021/07/08/star-raker/

Credit: “numbers station” blog

 

Finally:

 

www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/rockwell-international-s...

Credit: “SECRET PROJECTS” Forums website

 

Specifically, within the above site’s discussion thread, contributed by user “ozmosis”, 18 April 2011, the image is Figure 2, captioned “Multiple Launch”.

That, and other extracts are from Rockwell International presentation/paper SSD 79-0082, entitled “STAR-RAKER: AN AIRBREATHER/ROCKET-POWERED, HORIZONTAL TAKEOFF TRIDELTA FLYING WING, SINGLE-STAGE-TO-ORBIT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM” by: David A. Reed, Jr., Hideo Ikawa & Jonas A. Sadunas. The paper was presented at the AIAA Conference on Advanced Technology for Future Space Systems, at Hampton Virginia, May 8-11, 1979.

 

Since it’s so damned cool, articles & reproductions of this (and other) Star-Raker images abound online.

As such, it’s particularly gratifying to have come across this & scan it at a glorious 1200 dpi. That, and to have been able to identify the talented artist of this & many other gorgeous works - North American Rockwell/Rockwell International artist Manuel E. Alvarez.

Yay me.

Done