For release: May 22, 1997
Ann C. Gaudreaux
(757) 864-8150
RELEASE NO. 97-036
X-34 Technology Demonstrator Begins Wind Tunnel Tests at NASA
Langley Research Center
Models of the X-34, a technology demonstrator for NASA's
Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program, are undergoing a series of
tests in several NASA wind tunnels to obtain an aerodynamic
database for the flight vehicle.
Tests in Langley's Low Turbulence Pressure Tunnel (LTPT) were
conducted to obtain the vehicle's low-speed flight characteristics.
A scale model, designed and fabricated in Langley's machine shops,
was tested in its landing configuration with the gear extended to
simulate final approach conditions just prior to touch down.
Tests have also recently been completed in Langley's 16-Foot
Transonic Tunnel to obtain aerodynamic characteristics near the
speed of sound (a Mach number of 1.0). Testing will soon begin in
the Langley Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at speeds ranging from Mach
1.6 to Mach 4.5. Testing of the models at Langley will continue
through the summer and fall. These tests will include entries in
Langley's 14- by 22-Foot, 20-Inch Mach 6 and Mach 6 CF4
Tunnels.
"Langley's role is to develop the vehicle's aerodynamic
database," said Davy Haynes of Langley's Space Transportation
Programs Office. "We are testing models of the X-34 configuration
in wind tunnels, at speeds throughout the flight range, from low to
hypersonic speeds. Langley researchers will extract the aerodynamic
data, analyze the results, and generate the database. The database
will be used to predict the way the vehicle will respond in
flight."
According to Haynes, transonic tests in 16-Foot Tunnel generate
a crucial part of the database. "After it is launched from the
carrier aircraft, the X-34 must traverse the critical transonic
flight regime between subsonic and supersonic flight when the
aerodynamic force on the vehicle are at a maximum," he said. "The
facilities and expertise at Langley are playing a major role in
producing this database that is crucial to controlling the vehicle
in flight."
Langley's work on a database will continue until the first
flight of the vehicle in late 1998.
The X-34 will be a small air-launched vehicle that will reach
altitudes up to 250,000 feet and speeds up to Mach 8, or eight
times the speed of sound. The intent of the X-34 program is to show
key vehicle and operational technologies applicable to future
low-cost reusable launch vehicles. It will demonstrate the ability
to fly through inclement weather and land horizontally at a
designated landing site. The X-34 is also expected to serve as a
testbed to develop technology applicable for future reusable launch
vehicles, according to Haynes.
The X-34 is to be capable of 25 flights within one year at an
average recurring flight cost of about $500,000. It will also
demonstrate the capability for a 24-hour turnaround between flights
using a small work force.
The X-34 contract is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center's
RLV office, Huntsville, Ala., and the team members are led by
Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. Industry team members include
Allied Signal Aerospace, Tempe, Ariz. (control actuators,
hydraulics); Oceaneering Space Systems, Houston, Texas (thermal
blankets); and Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Mass. (entry guidance,
flight software).
Government team members include Marshall (main propulsion system
including the Fastrac engine); Langley (wind tunnel testing and
analysis and aerodynamic database development); Ames Research
Center, Mountain View, Calif. (thermal protection system); Dryden
Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif.; Holloman AFB, New
Mexico; White Sands Test Facility, New Mexico; and White Sands
Missile Range, New Mexico (testing and flight support
operations).
For more information, photos, b-roll and interviews, contact Ann
Gaudreaux at (757) 864-8150, fax (757) 864-8199, e-mail
a.c.gaudreaux@larc.nasa.gov
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