jcp%brl-bmd@sri-unix.UUCP (07/03/83)
From: J. C. Pistritto <jcp@brl-bmd> About the Soviet subscale space shuttle: A picture, (quite good actually), appears in an issue of Aviation Week about about a month ago of the subscale model being hoisted abort a Soviet ship in the Indian Ocean after the second mission. The vehicle quite clearly seems to have 'tiles' almost identical in size and shape to Columbia's. Considerable streaking is visible around the edges of the tiles, which would be 'gap filler' material ablating off during\ reentry (Columbia experienced this also on the first mission). Other than that, the vehicle appears much like an X-20 Dyna Soar lifting body. (The crash of which I believe is the intro film sequence to the 'Six Million Dollar Man TV series). -JCP-