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This image shows the planned Star-Raker Space Plane, a startlingly ambitious NASA project that intended to combine airplane and spaceship in an effort to harness the power of the sun. Pitched by Rockwell International to the U.S. government as a "Airbreather/Rocket-Powered, Horizontal Takeoff Tridelta Flying Wing, Single-Stage-To-Orbit Transportation System," it was hoped that a fleet of Star-Rakers could launch up to four missions every day, carrying payloads of 100 tons each into orbit.

The incredible lifting power would be necessary to accomplish NASA’s ultimate goal: a network of 60 space-based solar power stations that would beam enough energy back down to Earth to power the United States.