Spaceplane Technology and Research (STAR), August 1984

November 13, 2021

This report presents the results of the preliminary analysis of the potential of a small, new, generic type of manned spaceplane as a military, manned research vehicle. A specific spaceplane research vehicle configuration, termed the Space Cruiser is presented. The Space Cruiser is designed for full- envelope cislunar Earth-moon space, Transatmospheric, and endoatmospheric flight research. Man-in-space, vehicular research and research on internal and external payloads would extend to manned space vehicles, the Space Shuttle, unmanned space vehicles, space station, space structures, transatmospheric and endoatmospheric vehicles. Results of a nation-wide preliminary survey for research and technology tasks for the Space Cruiser are reported. Initial planning for developmental and operational programs is presented.

Note: The Black Vault originally received this document in the late 1990s, with the purchase of a multi-set CD-ROM collection of the Department of Defense’s FOIA reading room. However, a better copy was discovered within the holdings on the DTIC. So, a file was created with the best pages out of both files. Each file also had additional pages the other did not. All were added to the below.