High Altitude Test Vehicle (HATV) program

[Vahe231991]

In 1946, the US Navy initiated the High Altitude Test Vehicle (HATV) program for a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) satellite launch vehicle, and Douglas, Martin, and North America submitted design studies for the HATV. The Douglas HATV proposal was designed to use pressurized 'metal balloon' tanks, while Martin's design was unorthodox in being cone-shaped and using a single enormous Aerojet liquid oxygen/hydrogen engine to achieve single-stage-to-orbit performance, and North American's HATV design had an ogival appearance as well as fuel tanks made from 18-8 stainless steel. The US Army Air Force, however, didn't consider SSTO technology feasible, and the Navy shelved the HATV program in 1948. It should be noted that Martin used its HATV design as the basis for the more orthodox Orbit Project envisaged in 1946.

http://www.astronautix.com/h/hatv.html
http://www.astronautix.com/d/douglashatv.html
http://www.astronautix.com/m/martinhatv.html
http://www.astronautix.com/n/naahatv.html