Very Large Aircraft (VLA) projects

[CammNut]

And while we are on the subject of the more far-out of Rutan's design concepts, here is a very large aircraft Scaled designed for t/space's proposal to NASA for a commercially operated air-launched vehicle to transfer crew to the International Space Station. It owes an obvious heritage to SpaceShipOne's carrier aircraft, White Knight, and its larger successor White Knight 2

 

[CammNut]

this time with attachments...

 

[Rickshaw]

And while we are on the subject of the more far-out of Rutan's design concepts, here is a very large aircraft Scaled designed for t/space's proposal to NASA for a commercially operated air-launched vehicle to transfer crew to the International Space Station. It owes an obvious heritage to SpaceShipOne's carrier aircraft, White Knight, and its larger successor White Knight 2

Why do I keep getting the impression that Burt Rhutan studied under Gerry Anderson?

 

[SpaceMax]

this time with attachments...

That design is not Rutans, it's Gary Hudsons. Scaled would not (and still won't) release it's VLA concept just yet.
I saw Rutans VLA concept a year ago, it's even bigger and weirder than the illustrations you've posted depict.
Hudson needed a depiction of a carrier aircraft for some briefings and sketched this concept for a t/Space carrier aircraft.

I know this as I did those illos you posted.
Here's a peek at Hudsons original drawing-


Some were amused that many assumed the design to be Rutans, I was not as they were quick 3d sketches which lacked the sort of detailI'd have liked, especially since they got as much exposure as they did on the web.
There's only so much you can do in a day and a half.

On the topic of odd carrier vehicles, here's a couple of early t/Space concept sketches you probably didn't see.
A 747-400 on stilts!

 

[FutureSpaceTourist]

For those interested there is further discussion of the t/space VLA in the WK2/SS2 thread http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,5003.0.html.

Cheers,

Tourist