.jpg?w=1024)
A sounding rocket outfitted with several hundred sensors to measure the constantly changing surface pressures was launched March 30 during the successful Aerodynamic Buffet Flight Test at White Sands Missile Range Launch Complex 36 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The turbulent flight environment rockets encounter while flying through the atmosphere is called transonic buffet. These forces can be difficult to predict but results from the recent flight test could help scientists better understand this phenomenon.
“Violent, unsteady aerodynamic forces can shake and vibrate a rocket as it screams through the speed of sound on its way to orbit. This test data will help rocket scientists understand how to better predict and model these forces for the purpose of more efficient and lighter-weight rocket structures and higher confidence in a safe flight for our astronauts and critical payloads,” said Dave Piatak, researcher at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
The test is the culmination of more than 10 years of research including wind tunnel tests and computer simulations.
“While wind tunnel tests are great because we can get tons of data and control all aspects of the test to understand their effects on buffet, there is a fundamental problem — we can only test our models at constant air speeds while a rocket accelerates continuously. This test will help us bridge this gap,” said Martin Sekula, Langley researcher.
During the test the rocket was launched and data was collected from the onboard sensors. Four redundant data recorders were ejected during the final 10 seconds of flight and collected on the ground. The vehicle crashed into the New Mexico desert as planned and was recovered.
The Aerodynamic Buffet Flight Test is collaborative effort between the NASA Engineering Safety Center, Langley, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract, and White Sands Missile Range.