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At least 757 records · Page 42

The Skylab Parasol

An alternate thermal protection system for the Skylab space station cluster was deemed necessary shortly after launch when severe damage occured to the orbital workshop as it passed through the period of maximum dynamic pressure. Data indicated that the combination micrometeoroid and thermal shield on the sun facing side of the vehicle had been destroyed. The simultaneous design, fabrication, and test of the Skylab Parasol System which was completed in 6 days of around-the-clock effort is described. The Skylab Parasol design was selected as the primary sunshade device based on simplicity of design, ability to fabricate quickly, and early demonstration of a working prototype which featured semiautomatic deployment from within the workshop under shirt sleeve environment conditions.

Kinzler, J. A.↗

RSRA sixth scale wind tunnel test. Tabulated balance data, volume 2

Summaries are presented of all the force and moment data acquired during the RSRA Sixth Scale Wind Tunnel Test. These data include and supplement the data presented in curve form in previous reports. Each summary includes the model configuration, wing and empennage incidences and deflections, and recorded balance data. The first group of data in each summary presents the force and moment data in full scale parametric form, the dynamic pressure and velocity in the test section, and the powered nacelle fan speed. The second and third groups of data are the balance data in nondimensional coefficient form. The wind axis coefficient data corresponds to the parametric data divided by the wing area for forces and divided by the product of the wing area and wing span or mean aerodynamic chord for moments. The stability axis data resolves the wind axis data with respect to the angle of yaw.

Ruddell, A.↗

A theoretical investigation of over-wing-blowing aerodynamics

A theoretical method is established for determining the aerodynamic characteristics of over-wing-blowing configurations. The method accounts for both jet entrainment and jet interaction effects because of the differences in freestream and jet dynamic pressures and Mach numbers. The predicted lift increments agree well with available data. It is shown that the lift is underpredicted with entrainment effect alone when the jet is close to the wing surface.

Lan, C. E.↗

Vibration characteristics of 1/8-scale dynamic models of the space-shuttle solid-rocket boosters

Vibration tests and analyses of six 1/8 scale models of the space shuttle solid rocket boosters are reported. Natural vibration frequencies and mode shapes were obtained for these aluminum shell models having internal solid fuel configurations corresponding to launch, midburn (maximum dynamic pressure), and near endburn (burnout) flight conditions. Test results for longitudinal, torsional, bending, and shell vibration frequencies are compared with analytical predictions derived from thin shell theory and from finite element plate and beam theory. The lowest analytical longitudinal, torsional, bending, and shell vibration frequencies were within + or - 10 percent of experimental values. The effects of damping and asymmetric end skirts on natural vibration frequency were also considered. The analytical frequencies of an idealized full scale space shuttle solid rocket boosted structure are computed with and without internal pressure and are compared with the 1/8 scale model results.

Leadbetter, S. A.↗

Magnetic field and plasma inside and outside of the Martian magnetosphere

Simultaneous magnetic and plasma measurements, carried out by wide angle plasma detectors in the Mars environment, are compared in order to identify regions with significantly different physical properties. Magnetograms and ion spectra indicate changes in the magnetopause and magnetosphere of Mars that are associated with the dynamic pressure effect of the solar wind.

Dolginov, S. S.↗

The cryogenic transonic wind tunnel for high Reynolds number research

Based on theoretical studies and experience with a low speed cryogenic tunnel and with the transonic cryogenic tunnel, the cryogenic wind tunnel concept has been shown to offer many advantages with respect to the attainment of full scale Reynolds number at reasonable levels of dynamic pressure in a ground based facility. The unique modes of operation available in a pressurized cryogenic tunnel make possible for the first time the separation of Mach number, Reynolds number, and aeroelastic effects.

Kilgore, R. A.↗

Recent progress on new facilities at the NASA Langley Research Center

A new fan-driven high Reynolds number transonic cryogenic tunnel the National Transonic Facility is being planned for the United States. This tunnel will provide an order of magnitude increase in Reynolds number capability over existing tunnels. Theoretical studies and experience with the Langley 1/3 Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel indicate that the cryogenic concept allows the attainment of full-scale Reynolds number at reasonable levels of dynamic pressure. The unique modes of operation which are available only in a cryogenic tunnel make possible the separation of Mach number, Reynolds number possible the separation of Mach number, Reynolds number, and aeroelastic effects. By reducing the drive power requirements to a level where a conventional fan drive system may be used, the cryogenic concept makes possible a tunnel with high productivity and run times sufficiently long to allow for all types of tests at reduced capital costs and, reduced total energy consumption.

Kilgore, R. A.↗

Analysis of effect of internal and operating variables on performance of SVDS constraint model (ABIND)

An examination of the factors which modify the simulation of a constraint in the motion of the aft attach points of the orbiter and external tank during separation has been made. The factors considered were both internal (spring and damper constants) and external (friction coefficient and dynamic pressure). The results show that an acceptable choice of spring/damper constant combinations exist over the expected range of the external factors and that the choice is consistent with a practical integration interval. The constraint model is shown to produce about a 10 percent increase in the relative body pitch angles over the unconstrained case whereas the MDC-STL constraint model is shown to produce about a 38 percent increase.

Pendergrass, J. R.↗

Design of an all-attitude flight control system to execute commanded bank angles and angles of attack

A flight control system for use in air-to-air combat simulation was designed. The input to the flight control system are commanded bank angle and angle of attack, the output are commands to the control surface actuators such that the commanded values will be achieved in near minimum time and sideslip is controlled to remain small. For the longitudinal direction, a conventional linear control system with gains scheduled as a function of dynamic pressure is employed. For the lateral direction, a novel control system, consisting of a linear portion for small bank angle errors and a bang-bang control system for large errors and error rates is employed.

Burgin, G. H.↗

Performance of a mullite reusable surface insulation system in a hypersonic stream

The thermal and structural performance of a large panel of mullite reusable surface insulation (RSI) tiles was determined by a series of aerothermal tests in the Langley 8-foot high-temperature structures tunnel. The test panel was designed to represent a portion of the surface structure on a space shuttle orbiter fuselage along a 1,150 K isotherm with the mullite tile system bonded directly to the primary structure. Aerothermal tests were conducted at a free-stream Mach number of 6.7, a total temperature of 1,880 K, a unit Reynolds number of 4.6 million per meter, and dynamic pressure of 62 kPa. The thermal response of the mullite tile was as predicted, and the bond-line temperature did not exceed the design level of 570 K during a typical entry-heat cycle. Geometric irregularities of the tile gaps affected the tile edge temperatures when exposed to hypersonic flow. The tile coating demonstrated good toughness to particle impacts, but the coating cracked and flaked with thermal cycles. The gap filler of woven silica fibers appeared to hinder flow penetration into the gaps and withstood the flow shear of the present tests.

Hunt, L. R.↗

Effect of combined roll rate and sideslip angle on aircraft flight stability

The combined destabilizing effects of roll rate and sideslip angle are studied for a high angle-of-attack flight condition using a linear simulation of the coupled motions of a Space Shuttle-like configuration. Variations in the eigenvalues for a flight condition nominally identified by an angle of attack of 33.29 deg and a Mach number of 4.9 are examined with illustrations of the separate effects of body-axis roll rate and yaw rate, stability-axis roll rate, dynamic pressure, and sideslip angle. It is shown that the stability of the free motion of the vehicle is sensitive to roll rate and that this sensitivity is enhanced by nonzero sideslip angle. The results suggest that fully coupled linearized equations can be of value both for the study of Space Shuttle stability and for a better understanding of post-stall gyrations, incipient spin, and departure prevention for high-performance aircraft.

Stengel, R. F.↗

Long-range energy-state maneuvers for minimum time to specified terminal conditions

The calculus of variations and energy-state approximation are used to determine the optimum maneuvers in three-dimensional minimum-time aircraft flight paths to a specified final point or line. Constraints on thrust, Mach number, angle of attack, dynamic pressure, and load factor are included. It is shown that when the initial range is sufficiently large that the maximum velocity constraint is encountered en route, the calculation of minimum-time maneuvers can be greatly simplified by a separation of arcs into two two-parameter problems. Suboptimal paths along which the bank angle is restricted to three discrete values (negative maximum angle, 0, positive maximum angle) compare favorably with the optimum, continuous bank angle solutions for transonic speeds and below.

Parsons, M. G.↗

Ballistic range experiments on superbooms generated by refraction

The enhanced sonic boom or supersonic boom generated as a result of atmospheric refraction in threshold Mach number flights was recreated in a ballistic range by firing projectiles at low supersonic speeds into a stratified medium obtained by slowly injecting carbon dioxide into air. The range was equipped with a fast-response dynamic pressure transducer and schlieren photographic equipment, and the sound speed variation with height was controlled by regulating the flow rate of the CO2. The schlieren observations of the resulting flow field indicate that the generated shocks are reflected near the sonic cutoff altitude where local sound speed equals body speed, provided such an altitude exists. Maximum shock strength occurs very nearly at the point where the incident and reflected shocks join, indicating that the presence of the reflected shock may have an appreciable effect on the magnitude of the focus factor. The largest focus factor detected was 1.7 and leads to an estimate that the constant in the Guiraud-Thery scaling law should have a value of 1.30.

Sanai, M.↗

Direct observations of the solar wind interaction with Jupiter

Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 plasma ion and electron observations in the vicinity of Jupiter are summarized. The data, obtained by the Ames Research Center Plasma Analyzer Experiments during the flybys of Jupiter in 1973 and 1974, indicate that the solar wind interaction with Jupiter (e.g., the formation of the Jovian bow shock, the magnetosheath, etc.) is basically similar to the solar wind interaction with the earth and only differs in terms of the scale size of the interaction. The plasma ion and electron measurements obtained on Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 are consistent with the proton measurements and indicate that the large, thick Jovian Magnetosphere which is inflated with a thermal plasma, is responsive to relatively minor changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure. The inferred motion of the Jovian bow shock and the speed at which it moved were strikingly similar during the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 flybys.

Intriligator, D. S.↗

Flutter and buckling of general laminated plates

An anisotropic buckling and flutter analysis is developed with allowance for both bending-extensional coupling and bending-twisting coupling within the framework of linear small deflection theory for simply supported general laminated plates. The extended Galerkin method is used to obtain approximate solutions to the coupled governing equations. The effects of various anisotropic stiffness parameters on the static and dynamic stability of laminated plates are evaluated, with particular emphasis on assessing the range of applicability of classical orthotropic plate theory. It is shown that bending-extensional coupling and bending-twisting stiffness terms have a destabilizing effect on buckling and flutter, the effect being more pronounced for a small number of layers. For symmetric plates, the number of layers required for orthotropic plate theory to be applicable is generally less for the buckling problem than for flutter. For square plates, aligning the fibers with the direction of airflow over the plate surface results in the highest flutter dynamic pressure.

Sawyer, J. W.↗

Comparison of supercritical and conventional wing flutter characteristics

A wind-tunnel study is described in which it was attempted to compare the measured flutter boundaries of two dynamically similar aeroelastic models with identical planform, maximum thickness-to-chord ratio, and as nearly identical stiffness and mass distributions as possible, but with one wing having a supercritical airfoil and the other a conventional one. At subsonic Mach numbers, the flutter boundary for the supercritical wing was above that of the conventional wing, as predicted by flutter calculations using subsonic lifting theory. In the transonic region, however, the supercritical wing boundary decreases more rapidly and the minimum flutter point occurs at a dynamic pressure below the conventional wing boundary. Airfoil shape effects may account for some of the difference in the flutter boundaries of the two airfoils.

Farmer, M. G.↗

Comparison with test data and application of aerodynamic coefficients computed for unfinned axisymmetric bodies using a modified viscous crossflow method

Aerodynamic coefficients computed using a modified viscous crossflow method are verified with test data and shown to compare favorably for the general class of sounding rocket reentry bodies. Next, several reentry predictions are compared with the actual reentry plus a discussion of characteristic traits shown in both. Then a detailed study of the effects of initial conditions on maximum dynamic pressure (q), q at Mach 1 and at 20,000 feet (nominal drogue deployment altitude) will be presented and discussed. These results prove that reentry simulations using this technique are applicable to sounding rocket reentry bodies.

Laudadio, J. F.↗

Zoom-climb altitude maximization of the F-4C and F-15 aircraft for stratospheric sampling missions

Some predictions indicate that byproducts of aerosol containers may lead to a modification of the ultraviolet-radiation shielding properties of the upper atmosphere. NASA currently monitors atmospheric properties to 70,000 feet using U-2 aircraft. Testing is needed at about 100,000 feet for adequate monitoring of possible aerosol contaminants during the next decade. To study this problem the F-4C and F-15 aircraft were analyzed to determine their maximum altitude ability in zoom-climb maneuvers. These trajectories must satisfy realistic dynamic pressure and Mach number constraints. Maximum altitudes obtained for the F4-C are above 90,000 feet, and for the F-15 above 100,000 feet. Sensitivities of the zoom-climb altitudes were found with respect to several variables including vehicle thrust, initial weight, stratospheric winds and the constraints. A final decision on aircraft selection must be based on mission modification costs and operational considerations balanced against their respective zoom altitude performance capabilities.

Hague, D. S.↗