Favourite spaceships that never flew?

[kerbiloid]

https://www.pmview.com/spaceodysseytwo/spacelvs/sld001.htm

[KerikBalm]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Orbiter#Nuclear_propulsion

Or for ridiculous scale, Von Braun's proposed mars mission:

http://www.astronautix.com/v/vonbraunmarpedition-1952.html

 

[MaxwellsDemon]

I can echo most of what's already been posted-- and would like to add the Soyuz 7K-VI ""Zvezda", with the orbital and decent modules rearranged and RTGs replacing the solar panels.  Oh-- and a cannon.   (I don't really condone the militarization of space; but still...)

[kerbiloid]

1 hour ago, MaxwellsDemon said:

with the orbital and decent modules rearranged and RTGs replacing the solar panels. 

And more of that, with a hatch in the heatshield, what was a gamechanger for Soyuzes.

[SRB]

HOTOL 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HOTOL

Though I still wonder why it’s vertical stabilizer is on its nose?

[kerbiloid]

Maybe it's an antenna shroud?

[Rakaydos]

 2 km longThe ATO program Orbital Airship launched from Dark Sky Station

 

 

basically a 2 km long blimp (the dark blue one) that never enters the lower or middle atmosphere, with enough DV to get up to orbital velocity despite the slight drag at that altitude. The station is even bigger, because that's where you transship from normal high altitude airships (light blue V)

Edited April 25, 2019 by Rakaydos

[kerbiloid]

(In Russian, but the pictures are self-explanatory)

https://www.popmech.ru/weapon/7969-raketoplany-dlya-nauki-i-srazheniy-sovetskiy-orbitalnyy-istrebitel/

[DDE]

45 minutes ago, kerbiloid said:

(In Russian, but the pictures are self-explanatory)

https://www.popmech.ru/weapon/7969-raketoplany-dlya-nauki-i-srazheniy-sovetskiy-orbitalnyy-istrebitel/

What an utter mess. Two images of Spiral with no mention of MiG and Lozino-Lozinskyi. I hate what PopMech has become, they used to be far less amateurish.

[Xd the great]

Wan hu from

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/rocket/TRCRocket/history_of_rockets.html

[SRB]

On 4/25/2019 at 10:49 AM, kerbiloid said:

Maybe it's an antenna shroud?

No, it’s definitely a vertical stabilizer/rudder, as this drawing shows:

Also, I don’t understand why HOTOL need a rocket-powered trolley to take off, when Skylon can take off from a normal runway with landing gear

Edited April 28, 2019 by ErinBensen

[ARS]

Ptichka, sister ship of Buran that never flew, 97% completed when the Buran programme ended

Silbervogel, the suborbital bomber that's scrapped on planning stage because the designer underestimated the atmospheric heating

Sonnengewehr, basically an orbital killer space station. With pumpkin farm as oxygen generators. The epitome of ridiculousness in space technology

Edited April 28, 2019 by ARS

[DDE]

4 hours ago, ErinBensen said:

Also, I don’t understand why HOTOL need a rocket-powered trolley to take off, when Skylon can take off from a normal runway with landing gear

Those turbocompressors look awfully small and probably would work poorly at low speed - especially if I read this right and HOTOL uses an RL-10-style expander cycle to power them.

Edited April 28, 2019 by DDE

[magnemoe]

On 4/3/2019 at 1:16 AM, StrandedonEarth said:

Ol’ Boom Boom?

/tread
Yes it has lots of downsides and was newer tested in detail, however its as close we can get to touch ship or starship in the 21th century without black swan level breakthrough like FTL. 
Or building enough solar pumped lasers to make us an K1 civilization.Yes that is also the weapon system.