Having been inspired to raid my library bookshelves in search of 'Frontiers of Space', I dug out the aforementioned 'Rockets and Missiles' by JWR Taylor. Picking it up and thumbing through, I remembered a picture of a very Scout-like design, pictured above. Unfortunately, its only listed as 'future desing for a space ferry', but it does have the familiar wedge shape, distinctive exhaust vents and a giveaway red hull!
The spread also includes the HL-10 Lifting body, just below and the exotic shape of the unmanned X-23A Prime - used to test high speed re-entry. This always reminded me of Thunderbird 2 and to a lesser extent the Spacex Nuclear Freighter!#
PS -had a scout around the internet for info on the X-23a PRIME and the actual vehicle bears little resemblance to the picture in Taylors book. Its much more triangular. However, It did lead me to look at the X-24c and a desk model of the craft bears a more than passing resemblance to our red friend...
Brilliant pics in that book Wote! I reckon that red ferry is a version of the Lockheed lifting body I posted earlier. Yours is a deadringer for Scout 3. We are on the right lines I'm sure. See what you mean about that TB2 -like spacecraft. Reminds me of the XRV in the film MAROONED posted last week. D'ya reckon Mike Trim had seen pics of lifting bodies when he designed TB2?
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