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Technical Plan/Phases 3 and 4 |
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| Phase 3 - The primary objective of Phase 3 is to assess the aerodynamics and stability and control of both the free-flight vehicle and the vehicle/parachute combination. This phase will use two full-scale, contractor-built vehicles with a flight control systems built and installed by JSC. The DFRC B-52 will be used as a launch aircraft, and testing will be conducted at the Edwards test range. The Phase 3 vehicles will use a blended X-23/X-24A shape with outboard fins, fixed upper flaps, and movable lower flaps and upper rudders. Both pylon pins and parachute attachment points will be added to facilitate the launch and recovery portions respectively. During early launches, the control surfaces will be fixed, and parachute deployment will occur shortly after B-52 separation. After several inert flights, an autonomous control system will be activated to fly the aircraft from B-52 launch down to a pre-determined parachute deployment altitude. After parachute deployment, the Pioneer parachute/guidance system will carry the vehicle to a soft landing in a pre-determined "safe" area. Approximately 6-8 flights are foreseen for the active flight portion of Phase 3, and launch conditions are expected to be approximately Mach 0.5 - 0.8 and 25,000 - 45,000 feet altitude. Phase 4 - The two main objectives of this phase are to demonstrate free-flight vehicle stability and control characteristics in the supersonic, transonic, and subsonic flight regimes and to demonstrate the operation of space-qualified systems for the vehicle. Two approaches are currently being pursued by JSC to achieve supersonic flight: either a high altitude balloon drop or a boost flight after release from the B-52. More importantly, the vehicle (to be built by JSC using technologies from the Space Shuttle program) will reflect the shape, layout and system configuration of the eventual space-flight X-38. After delivery to the target conditions (approximately Mach 2 at 80,000 feet) to simulate the terminal phase of re-entry, flight testing will demonstrate the high altitude supersonic stability including the transition through Mach 1. After deceleration through the transonic Mach regime, the autonomous vehicle guidance system will maneuver the aircraft into an appropriate "energy cylinder." While in the cylinder, the parachute will be deployed and the vehicle/parachute will be guided to a soft landing. | ||
 Current Projects Research Projects |
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