Project 7969 Designs Credit - © Mark Wade

Convair's proposal for the Air Force initial manned space project involved a large-scale manned space station. When pressed, they indicated that a minimum vehicle - a 450 kg, 1.6 m diameter sphere - could be launched by an Atlas within a year.

The spacecraft would be boosted by an Atlas Hustler booster into a 270 km orbit. Deorbit would be accomplished by retrorocket. The spacecraft had a ballistic coefficient (m/CdA) of 250 kg per square meter. It was expected that a first manned orbital flight could be achieved 12 months after a go-ahead.

Typical orbit: 270 km at 28 deg inclination. Length: 1.52 m (4.98 ft). Maximum Diameter: 1.52 m (4.98 ft). Mass: 450 kg (990 lb).