Shuttle question

[_DRAGONMASTER_]

What was the name of the space shuttle that could take off from an airstrip but got cancled?

[dmill1220]

HI Dragon,
I was not aware that they had a previous design that had been cancelled.
as far as I know, (Space Ship One) in the private sector, has been the only one so far, and has not been cancelled.
I am Curious as to where you heard about this?
Dennis

[Blue Fire]

I seem to remember something about piggybacking the shuttle on top of a Boeing jet to get it airborne then releasing it on its own. But this may have been in the early days just to test its flight characteristics and landing capabilities.

[Dragon Star]

This must have been a future project for a jet-like configuration that could reach escape-velocity, as it would be the only configuration that could take off from any airstrip.

However, something tells me that these are plans for private commercial space flights, and not NASA, because an aircraft with a jet-like configuration would have almost no payload capabilities...well, you know, because it doesn't have 526,000 gallons of rocket fuel, with a flow of 47,400 gallons of rocket fuel every minute.