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Aerospace medical and bioengineering considerations in M-2 lifting body research vehicle, discussing protective equipment, escape and medical monitoring systems
Two different singularity methods have been utilized to calculate the potential flow past a three dimensional non-lifting body. Two separate FORTRAN computer programs have been developed to implement these theoretical models, which will in the future allow inclusion of the fuselage effect in a pair of existing subcritical wing design computer programs. The first method uses higher order axial singularity distributions to model axisymmetric bodies of revolution in an either axial or inclined uniform potential flow. Use of inset of the singularity line away from the body for blunt noses, and cosine-type element distributions have been applied to obtain the optimal results. Excellent agreement to five significant figures with the exact solution pressure coefficient value has been found for a series of ellipsoids at different angles of attack. Solutions obtained for other axisymmetric bodies compare well with available experimental data. The second method utilizes distributions of singularities on the body surface, in the form of a discrete vortex lattice. This program is capable of modeling arbitrary three dimensional non-lifting bodies. Much effort has been devoted to finding the optimal method of calculating the tangential velocity on the body surface, extending techniques previously developed by other workers.
Lateral directional stability and control characteristics of lightweight M2-F1 lifting body at low speeds
A brief study was made to assess the applicability of the Newton-Raphson digital computer program as a routine technique for extracting aerodynamic derivatives from flight tests of lifting body types of vehicles. Lateral-direction flight data from flight tests of the HL-10 lifting body reserch vehicle were utilized. The results in general, show the computer program to be a reliable and expedient means for extracting derivatives for this class of vehicles as a standard procedure. This result was true even when stability augmentation was used. As a result of the study, a credible set of HL-10 lateral-directional derivatives was obtained from flight data. These derivatives are compared with results from wind-tunnel tests.
The effects of Mach number, Reynolds number, and ratio of specific heats on the aerodynamic characteristics of a proposed Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV) lifting-body configuration were examined for a range of angles of attack from -5 deg to 50 deg. Predictions made with a Langley-developed, three-dimensional Navier Stokes solver known as LAURA, which was exercised as an Euler solver for the present study, are compared with the experimental results. Unlike the Shuttle Orbiter, which experienced a significant nose-up increment in pitching moment with decreasing specific heat ratio (i.e., real gas effects), the aerodynamic characteristics of this lifting-body configuration are insensitive to changes in specific heat ratio. The maximum trimmed lift-to-drag ratio achieved was about 1.5. Predicted inviscid values of aerodynamic coefficients were generally in good agreement with measurement.
The results of an in-flight investigation of the feasibility of conducting a successful landing following a launch-pad abort of a vertically-launched lifting body are presented. The study attempted to duplicate the abort-to-land-ing trajectory from the point of apogee through final flare and included the steep glide and a required high-speed, low-altitude turn to the runway heading. The steep glide was flown by reference to ground-provided guidance. The low-altitude turn was flown visually with a reduced field- of-view duplicating that of the simulated lifting body. Results from the in-flight experiment are shown to agree with ground-based simulation results; however, these tests should not be regarded as a definitive due to performance and control law dissimilarities between the two vehicles.
The lifting body/linear aerospike is one of three configurations being studied for a single stage to orbit (SSTO) vehicle. A preliminary aerodynamics database existed for then current lifting body configurations, however, this database was developed without considering plume effects. A combined effort by the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and the Experimental Fluids Dynamics Branches was undertaken to determine first order effects of plume/external flow interactions on vehicle aerodynamics of this lifting body/linear aerospike configuration. Of interest were plume pumping/entrainment at low Mach numbers and plume induced separation of flow over the vehicle at higher altitudes. The CFD analysis included combinations of four Mach numbers, two angles of attack, and four throttle settings. The majority of the CFD was two dimensional centerline analysis of the lifting body/aerospike. Incremental plume effects were derived by comparing the power-on, power-off, and throttled cases and were extrapolated to the preliminary aerodynamic database. The plume had little effect on the vehicle aerodynamics for supersonic freestream velocities. At subsonic freestream velocities, the plume affected the vehicle aerodynamics through both jet pumping/entrainment and the jet flap effect.
Designers have relied heavily upon aerodynamic theory and wind-tunnel testing of large and small models to obtain accurate estimates of the performance characteristics for a new configuration and to provide a realistic simulation of the vehicle’s flying characteristics before its first flight, However, the highly unusual shapes of the lifting body vehicles have raised some questions of how accurately their lift and drag characteristics could be defined with these prediction techniques. Thus it is pertinent to com- pare the lift and drag data obtained in flight for three lifting body vehicles (ref. 1 and unpublished results) with wind-tunnel measurements obtained on the actual flight vehicles (refs. 2 and 3 and unpublished results) and on small-scale models of the flight vehicles (ref. 4 and unpublished results). These comparisons, together with discussions of separated flow problems and the effects of ablated surfaces, should be useful to the designers of space shuttlecraft.
Optimization of manned lifting body entry vehicle used for conducting space research tasks
The HL-20 early lifting-body personnel launch system (PSL) research, expected PSL mission requirements, the HL-20 concept design status, and those features which enhance aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic performance, operation, efficiency, maintainability, reliability, and crew safety are described. Results of the HL-20 PLS research to date show that the concept has definite advantages for efficiently satisfying future needs for assured manned access to space. The vehicle is designed with operational efficiency, low life-cycle costs, reliability, and safety as the primary criteria. It is shown that the HL-20 PLS can be developed and put into operation in the same timeframe that the Space Station Freedom is deployed.
Weight estimates of thermal protection systems for lifting body reentry vehicle suitable for near earth missions
The aerodynamic characteristics in the transition from high to low angles of attack at supersonic speeds have been experimentally and theoretically studied for a series of lifting bodies with various upper and lower surface camber designs. The configurations under consideration have a 75-degree swept delta planform with a rounded nose. Data obtained indicate that changes in the camber design cause some distinct changes in the aerodynamic characteristics that shoud be taken into account in the selection of a lifting body shape. The flat bottom designs with upper surface camber are found to provide greater drag for retardation at high angles of attack but are considerably out of trim longitudinally. The flat top designs with lower surface camber provide less drag at high angles of attack but can be more easily trimmed. Calculated results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.
Wind tunnel and flight tests to determine aerodynamic characteristics and rigging control of flexible parawing for lifting body spacecraft
This report examines subsonic flight-measured lift and drag characteristics of seven lifting-body and wing-body reentry vehicle configurations with truncated bases. The seven vehicles are the full-scale M2-F1, M2-F2, HL-10, X-24A, X-24B, and X-15 vehicles and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. Subsonic flight lift and drag data of the various vehicles are assembled under aerodynamic performance parameters and presented in several analytical and graphical formats. These formats are intended to unify the data and allow a greater understanding than individually studying the vehicles allows. Lift-curve slope data are studied with respect to aspect ratio and related to generic wind-tunnel model data and to theory for low-aspect-ratio platforms. The definition of reference area is critical for understanding and comparing the lift data. The drag components studied include minimum drag coefficient, lift-related drag, maximum lift-to drag ratio, and, where available, base pressure coefficients. The influence of forebody drag on afterbody and base drag at low lift is shown to be related to Hoerner's compilation for body, airfoil, nacelle, and canopy drag. This feature may result in a reduced need of surface smoothness for vehicles with a large ratio of base area to wetted area. These analyses are intended to provide a useful analytical framework with which to compare and evaluate new vehicle configurations of the same generic family.
Perturbation feedback guidance for terminal phase of lifting body entry vehicle
Experimental heat transfer distributions on blunt lifting body at Mach 3.71
Heating and heat-shield requirements for maneuverable, lifting body, entry vehicle