Description : Edwards post stamp and second flight of spatial shuttle with John Manke pilot.
The X-24B`s design evolved from a family of potential reentry shapes, each with higher lift-to-drag ratios, proposed by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory. To reduce the costs of constructing a research vehicle, the Air Force returned the X-24A to the Martin Marietta Corporation (as Martin Aircraft Company became after a merger) for modifications that converted its bulbous shape into one resembling a "flying flatiron" -- rounded top, flat bottom, and a double delta planform that ended in a pointed nose.

USA 645 - picture enhanced ?

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Space Event :

X24-B (LIFTING BODY) · SPACE SHUTTLE PRECURSOR