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From: Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: the original Orion battleship
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2024 23:15:17 -0000 (UTC)
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On Mon, 16 Sep 2024 13:35:12 -0500, Lynn McGuire wrote:

> For fans of Niven & Pournelle’s “Footfall”,
>     https://www.amazon.com/Footfall-Larry-Niven/dp/0345323440/
> Scott Lowther has an article about, and a picture of the original Orion
> battleship model:
>     https://unwantedblog.com/orion-battleship-found-at-last/
> 
> He compares it to the CAD drawings he has made for open source
> descriptions, and that are reproduced everywhere.
> 
> Lynn

If JFK viewed the model on March 23, 1962, as the photo
caption says, it would have been at Vendenberg AFB, where he
was making a tour as part of a West Coast visit that included
giving a speech at UC Berkely. Newspaper coverage of his visit
to Vandenberg was detailed. He viewed an Atlas missile launch 
but no mention was made of the Orion mockup. Was the project 
classified at the time? Wikipedia details a series of design 
and test events of several years up to that date.