Soviet Version of Antipodal Bomber Now in 1/72nd Scale

Yep, I remember Hard Vacuum. Silly, but excellent, game. I got a big kick out of designing all sorts of Allied and Axis spacecraft for it.

As for the Sanger design is was indeed seriously flawed, though of couse given enough time (many ears more) they would have worked it out. The US X-20 project in the 1960's was a direct descendent of the research. The Germans also had an alternative project going in the A9/10 project, which was a manned sub-orbital ballistic missile.

Actually, the US itself had a similar project called the BOMI, which was essentially a piloted nuclear missle (pilot stage seperated after the payload was put on the right course).

Both of these (and similar early unmanned missiles like the Navaho and Buran) were seriously researched for nuclear and conventional weapons delivery but passed by in favor of 'pure' ballistic missiles (since these were un-interceptable with current technology).

Hmm, now I wonder about the gaming potentional of a world where the skip approach was favored for some reason….

-Will