The X-24A was the fourth lifting body design to fly; it followed the NASA M2-F1 in 1964, the Northrop HL-10 in (1966), the Northrop M2-F2 in 1966 and preceded the Northrop M2-F3 (1970). The X-24A was a fat, short teardrop shape with vertical fins for control.

This aircraft represents the Martin (now Lockheed Martin) X-24A, which the U.S. Air Force and NASA flew to study flight characteristics and maneuverability of “lifting bodies.” A lifting body is a fixed-wing air or spacecraft -- such as the space shuttle -- in which the body itself produces lift.

When NASA began work on a prototype vehicle for transporting astronauts back to Earth from the International Space Station in the mid-1990s, it was the X-24A’s famous teardrop design that was chosen, a fitting tribute to a potato-shaped wonder that helped usher in a …

Feb 14, 2014 · Built for the Air Force by Martin, the X-24A was a bulbous-shaped aircraft, with three vertical fins at the rear for directional control. It weighed 6,270 pounds without propellants, was just over 24 feet long, and had a width of nearly 14 feet.

Feb 3, 2016 · The X-24A was a joint program between NASA, the U. S. Air Force and Martin Aircraft Company. The aircraft flew 28 times between 1969 and 1971. Its unique design further validated the concept that an non-powered Space Shuttle vehicle could be successfully landed.

Jan 22, 2005 · Built by Martin Aircraft Company, Maryland, for the U.S. Air Force, the X-24A was a bulbous vehicle shaped like a teardrop with three vertical fins at the rear for directional control. It weighed 6,270 pounds, was 24.5 feet long and 11.5 feet wide (measuring just the fuselage, not the distance between the tips of the outboard fins).

The X-24A was the Martin Corporation's subsonic test version of the US Air Force's preferred manned lifting body configuration. AKA: SV-5P. Status: Operational 1969. Thrust: 37.71 kN (8,477 lbf). Gross mass: 5,192 kg (11,446 lb). Unfuelled mass: 2,712 kg (5,978 lb). Specific impulse: 225 s. Height: 7.47 m (24.50 ft). Span: 4.16 m (13.64 ft).

Sep 28, 2009 · The wingless lifting body aircraft sitting on Rogers Dry Lake at NASA’s Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA, from left to right are the X-24A, M2-F3, and the HL-10. The lifting body aircraft studied the feasibility of maneuvering and landing an aerodynamic craft designed for reentry from space.

May 20, 2020 · The X-24A, which was built by Martin for the U.S. Air Force, had a bulbous shape that resembled a teardrop that lacked wings. It was 6,270 pounds, 24.5 feet long and 11.5 feet wide at the...

This 1968 photo shows the bulbous X-24A Lifting Body research vehicle on the lakebed adjacent to the NASA Flight Research Center.