Parabolic Arc

Flying pancake with an ugly canopy
But if it does what it is supposed to do, i like it!

Paul451: Nothing odd about it. Its basic wing-body shape is classic for supersonic/hypersonic spacecraft – look at the Shuttle orbiter. The details have obviously evolved during the wind tunnel testing that XCOR has done to assure stability and controllability during all stages of flight.

Zeepkist: It’s nothing like a pancake! – where have you been? Re. the canopy: yes, it leaves a lot to be desired so far as “sexy” is concerned but let’s face it: flat panels of heat resistant glass just have to be far less expensive than panels with pretty curves, plus it clearly is not the actual pressure vessel – that has to be inside the canopy that we see and protected by that canopy that we do see. However, I do worry about local separation from the sharp breaks but I don’t have the test data, either, so that may not be a concern.

Lee: I agree as long as it doesn’t weigh like an Abrams tank ^_^ That’s one of the many things that made the VentureStar X-33 dean on arrival.