The Space Race of the 60's surface a whole ton of wild ideas: getting past the Van Allen belts, landing on the Moon, coming back from the Moon, showing how science could fundamentally change humanity for the better. But one of the most impressive ideas of the era never got built: a massive rocket called the Sea Dragon, which would have been launched from the middle of the ocean.

A two-stage rocket, the Sea Dragon was, on paper at least, capable of "putting 1.2 million pounds (550 metric tons) into low Earth orbit," according to Encylopedia Astronautica. That is enough to lift a small space station into orbit. At the time of Robert Truax's design in 1962, Apollo 11 was still seven years off. Just getting man to the Moon seemed far away,.

The concept behind Truax's design is today known as a "big dumb booster." The idea goes that it's actually more feasible to use a few giant, simple rockets than many smaller, complex ones. Launching from the ocean would cut down on costs, as would using materials like steel sheeting that could be outfitted for boats.

Youtuber Curious Droid provides a succinct history:

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"The Sea Dragon concept has been developed," a report from Truax's company, Aerojet General, wrote, said, "assuming that space transportation economy will result if launch vehicles are used I that are very large, simple and reusable, even if payload-to-liftoff weigh ratio is sacrificed in securing these characteristics." These sentiments are similar to those shared by SpaceX's Elon Musk, which has just completed Truax's vision by reusing a rocket for the first time in history.

After the moon landing, the Sea Dragon was viewed with curiosity. Shipyards concluded that the behemoth rising from the ocean's depths was categorically possible, similar to building a submarine's hull. NASA's Future Projects, intrigued, commissioned a study of their own. To their surprise, the science and costs of the Sea Dragon checked out.

However, American interests shifted from space to Vietnam, and NASA's Future Projects branch was slashed altogether. But as space tourism takes its next steps, it's only a matter of time before bigger supply ships are needed in space. The Sea Dragon may never see the stars, but maybe something inspired by it still will

Source: Curious Droid

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