the national aerospace plane or nesp
represents the future in aeronautics and
space technology
the x30 space plane will take off from
runways and fly directly into earth
orbit using air breathing engines as its
primary propulsion
mask technology will lead to operational
vehicles that will give flexible
efficient access to space in the 21st
century
technology from net is already being
applied in the fields of materials and
computer science
the nas program is jointly managed by
nasa and the department of defense
the nas joined program office at wright
patterson air force base selected nasa's
john c stennis space center on the
mississippi gulf coast to conduct high
temperature tests on new materials and
structures being developed for nest
this selection was largely due to
stennis's experience in propulsion
testing over the past three decades the
availability of skilled personnel and
the center's unique facilities
the high heat flux facility being built
at stennis will use rocket engines to
simulate the harsh heating environment
that the nasp will have to endure during
flight
the nasp research vehicle needs new
materials and structural concepts to
handle the heat of combustion in the air
breathing engine and the heat of air
friction during the high-speed flight
within the atmosphere
during tests of the high heat flux
facility structural panels representing
large pieces of the engine wings or
fuselage will be exposed to the flame of
rocket engines to reach temperatures of
2000 degrees fahrenheit
beginning in the fall of 1993
this facility will provide these
well-controlled high temperatures for
extended durations to test nasp
components for the engine and fuselage
it will also provide high pressure
liquid or gases or test article
conditioning at variable temperatures
and pressures
the high heat flux facility is unique in
the united states and providing the
combined environment capability of
exposing the nas materials to both high
temperatures and sound waves
the facility will provide the nas
program the ability to evaluate various
materials under simulated flight
conditions
this data will reduce program risk
thereby reducing total cost
tests conducted at the high heat flux
facility will be a vital link in the
technology development phase of the
national aerospace plane program
later the facility will be expanded to
accommodate larger test panels and
longer test durations to better simulate
the nasp flight profile
this will further advance technology and
make a very positive contribution to the
nas program and america's preeminence
and aerospace research
america's national aerospace plane
technology that is blazing a trail for a
new era in the history of human flight
you