This was one of Yuri's original designs, https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/836685279875956746/876624629869977670/image0.jpg https://cdn.discordapp.com/atta

This was one of Yuri's original designs, https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/836685279875956746/876624629869977670/image0.jpg https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/836685279875956746/87... As you can see, it is much closer to the lifting body concept than the other craft. I suspect they converged on the Shuttle-like design because of cost and manufacturing constraints. But this unsupported speculation. Also his designs incorporated grid fins! In the 1960s!