Re: X-34


Message posted by Peter Merlin on January 25, 2012 at 9:26:22 PST:

The two X-34 vehicles and parts for a third airframe were kicked around from place to place at Edwards after the program was cancelled in 2001. Eventually, they were moved to a hangar at North Base where they became a nesting place for rodents, and were gradually covered in dust and owl poop. A few years ago, the two vehicles (constructed mostly from carbon-fiber composites) were towed out to the Precision Impact Range Area (PIRA) where they were exposed to temperature extremes, wind, rain, and blowing sand. Components for the third airframe, along with several CONEX boxes full of spare parts were disposed of as scrap and waste.

In 2010, Orbital Sciences Corporation decided to retrieve them for possible restoration to flight status. The two flight vehicles were towed off the PIRA and onto the edge of Rogers Dry Lake adjacent to Mercury Boulevard where two things happened. First, they were essentially trapped for several months because rainstorms made the lakebed to soft to cross. Second, they became an attractive nuisance, visible from the road and accessible to anyone driving by. Needless to say, they were not in the best shape when they eventually arrived at Mojave.

I have since heard that the main landing gear might be used for the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser lifting body.


In Reply to: Additional article posted by Griffon_314 on January 25, 2012 at 7:57:17 PST:

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