Blackstar este numele de cod al unui sistem secret de avioane spațiale orbitale dezvoltat de Statele Unite ale Americii. Posibila existență a proiectului Blackstar a fost pentru prima dată publicată în presa americană în martie 2006 de către revista de specialitate Aviation Week & Space Technology (cunoscută și ca Aviation Week, sau adesea sub acronimul AWST). The magazine reported that the program had been underway since at least the early 1990s, and that the impetus for Blackstar was to allow the United States Government to retain orbital reconnaissance capabilities jeopardised following the 1986 Challenger disaster. The article also said that the United States Air Force's Space Command were unaware of Blackstar, suggesting it was operated by an intelligence agency such as the National Reconnaissance Office."Two-Stage-to-Orbit 'Blackstar' System Shelved at Groom Lake? ." Scott, W., Aviation Week & Space Technology. March 5, 2006."Did Pentagon create orbital space plane?." Oberg, J., MSNBC. March 6, 2006.
Aviation Week speculated that such a spacecraft could also have offensive military capabilities (a concept colloquially known as "The Space Bomber" "Bush plans 'space bomber'." Vulliamy, E., The Observer. July 29, 2001."Pentagon planning for space bomber." Windrem, R., MSNBC. August 14, 2001.). The magazine also stated that it was likely that Blackstar would be mothballed, although it is unclear whether this is due to cost or failure of the program.
The Aviation Week report was a few days later dismissed as "almost certainly bogus" and the project termed a "technical absurdity" by Jeffrey F. Bell in an article in Spacedaily.
Referințe (toate în limba engleză)
Legături externe (toate în limba engleză)
BBC Newsnight 14 June 2006 Links to UK MoD "Black" aircraft working paper The Space Review: Six blind men in a zoo: Aviation Week’s mythical Blackstar (Dwayne A. Day) Monday, 13 martie 2006 robotpig.net - TSTO spaceplanes presentation of a Boeing TSTO patent, the blackstar tsto and the respective technologies
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