SHADO Moon Shuttle
Web site by: Phil
Broad
This shuttle is the only form of transport between the earth and the surface of the moon seen in the series "UFO" although there would have to be a much larger craft for hauling heavy equipment and other cargo. It is launched from an air-breathing mothership high in the earth's atmosphere and recovered by docking to the same craft when returning. The launch and recovery of such parasite craft was actually studied extensively in the early 1950's as a method of providing fighter escorts to long range bombers operating inside enemy territory. The huge Convair B-36 was typically seen as the mothership for such parasites which would be launched by lowering them out of the bomb bay on a trapeze type of mechanism. The various craft to be carried in the studies ranged from the huge supersonic "Cutlass" Navy fighter, F4D Skyray, X-3 Stiletto, to the F-84. Although considered a highly dangerous mode of operation, a USAF squadron did operate for two years as a recon unit which utilized the GRB-36D/RF-84K combination. During the mid-1950s, SAC had a unit of GRB-36Ds which were B-36s modified to the FICON (FIghter CONveyor) configuration for carrying RF-84Ks in their bomb bays. The idea was for the GRB-36D to carry an RF-84K as far as possible, lower its trapeze and release the fighter which would dash into enemy territory on a high-speed reconnaissance or nuclear bomb mission. The fighter would then return to the GRB-36D for hookup and flight to home base. With the rapid development of air-to-air refueling equipment and techniques, the FICON operation was phased-out in 1956. Generally speaking however, the process was deemed too complicated and dangerous to be practical. In the end it was decided that drones, ECM and missiles could do the job much more efficiently.
The specific type of launch/docking seen
here is highly unlikely as the parasite would be forced to attempt its operations
while flying directly into the slipstream and turbulence caused by the mothership.
Another serious deficiency in the design is its singular lack of landing gear.
On the Moon it is shown landing on the bell of its main engine, something
else which is highly unlikely to say the least. The one thing which was most
welcome in the Moon Shuttle's scenes was the depiction of reentry, a fact
of spaceflight rarely seen in film and usually over looked.
