For Release: Nov. 4, 1998
RELEASE NO. 98-091
NASA LANGLEY STORY OPPORTUNITIES - NOVEMBER
New Research:
TACTICAL AIRLIFTER TO 'SHOW ITS STUFF' NOV. 6. You've
seen it airlift cargo for humanitarian relief. You've seen it
support full-scale combat operations. Now you can see the low-cost,
high-performance update of this versatile airlifter at NASA Langley
Friday, Nov. 6. It's the C-130, the nation's primary tactical
transport aircraft. Updated with NASA technologies, the
significantly-improved Lockheed Martin C-130J will soon be joining
the air forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy and the
United States. Call to inquire about flying on one of two
demonstration flights. Interviews, video, animation stills and pool
still photography are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Keith Henry 757-864-6120,
h.k.henry@larc.nasa.gov
X-33 Thermal Protection Systems Tested at Langley. The
thermal protection system (TPS) is a key technology that the X-33
spacecraft will demonstrate. When VentureStar is built, it's the
TPS that will safeguard it from re-entry temperatures as high as
2600 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike most TPS, where the insulation
material is mounted on the outside of the vehicle, X-33's TPS is
the vehicle's aerodynamic structural shell. Testing in Langley's
High-Temperature Tunnel verified the integrity of the aeroshell TPS
when subjected to 2000-degree winds, flowing onto the structure at
seven times the speed of sound. Langley continues to perform wind
tunnel tests on X-33 models. Interviews, photos, background video
are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Ann Gaudreaux, (757) 864-8150,
a.c.gaudreaux@larc.nasa.gov
Ongoing Research:
FIRST AMERICANS FLY RUSSIAN VERSION OF CONCORDE. What's
it like to fly the Russian version of the supersonic Concorde? Ask
Robert A. Rivers, a research pilot at NASA Langley Research Center
and one of two NASA pilots who recently became the first Americans
to fly the super-fast jet. Called the Tu-144, it's the only
commercial airplane in the world besides the Concorde flying at
Mach 2 — twice the speed of sound. The flights took place in
September from the Zhukovsky Air Development Center near Moscow.
They are part of a jointly funded activity by NASA's High-Speed
Research (HSR) program and the Boeing Commercial Airplane Group to
obtain operational experience and experimental flight data on the
modified Tu-144 jetliner. Knowledge from the flights will benefit
NASA's effort to develop the technology for a second-generation
supersonic transport in this country that is affordable, efficient
and environmentally friendly. Interviews, photos, and b-roll video
are available.
Public Affairs Contact: Ivelisse Gilman, (757) 864-5036,
i.gilman@larc.nasa.gov
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