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Bird, John D.

Publications and source records attributed to Bird, John D..

2 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1960

A Two-Impulse Plan for Performing Rendezvous on a Once-A-Day Basis

An investigation of a two-impulse plan for performing rendezvous on a once-a-day basis with a near-earth satellite station indicates that launch into rendezvous from slightly less than maximum satellite latitude is an unusually favorable circumstance in that no appreciable expense in mass ratio is incurred. In addition, it was found for the two-impulse maneuver employed in this study that the optimum angular travel of the ferry vehicle to rendezvous was considerably less than the 1800 transfer which is optimum for the two-impulse in-plane launch.

Bird, John D.↗
NASA NTRS1957

An Investigation at Low Speed of the Spin Instability of Mortar-Shell Tails

An investigation was made in the Langley stability tunnel to study the influence of number of fins, fin shrouding, and fin aspect ratio on the spin instability of mortar-shell tail surfaces. It was found that the 12-fin tails tested spun less rapidly throughout the angle-of-yaw range than did the 6-fin tails and that fin shrouding reduced the spin encountered by a large amount.

Bird, John D.↗