Winging It

Its funny how you can look at something for years and not pick up on certain details. It was Woodstocks earlier bloglet that just attracted my attention, in particular, the 'Sabotage' Ferry illustration by Ron Embleton.

What struck a chord with me was the larger, more aerodynamic wings on the passenger section of the shuttle. The actual toy has neat, sharp wings which rest on cylindrical 'pods' which look like they should fold down. This made me wonder if the actual design of the passenger shuttle was originally intended to have variable geometry wings, for an atmospheric landing.

The original proposal document by Ling- Temco-Vought doesn't offer much clarification, but in the 'Inside Information on Space Travel' book by Lesley Ashwell Wood, theres a speculative illustration of a future space shuttle, which has a similar wing position, but does feature folding wings. It does fuel my imagination for the passenger section of the Ferry making a runway landing at Glenn Field!