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SR-71 flights end
From: "Tom C Robison"
Date: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 10:10:43 -0500
Subject: SR-71 flights end
SR-71 "Blackbird" end research flights for 1999
30 September 1999
The 1999 four-flight series of the SR-71 "Blackbird" with a
41-foot-long test fixture mounted atop of the rear
section of the aircraft was completed on September 27 at NASA's
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards,
Calif. The flights showed that the fixture barely impacted the
SR-71's stability, handling and flying
characteristics while soaring at Mach 3, three times the speed of
sound.
"It flew like a scalded cat," said
the SR-71 Flight Test
Engineer Marta Bohn-Meyer. She said
the plane was
unbelievable in how it pushed to go
faster. The SR-71 stopped
short of reaching one test point of
going over Mach 3 due to
the failure of the liquid nitrogen
system that was used to purge
the test fixture. Without proper
purge, there was concern of
overheating the fixture's internal
systems. This purge system
has proven very effective in past
flights, Tim Moes said, NASA
Dryden's chief engineer for these
research flights.
He added that the cause of the
purge system failure is now
well understood and procedures will
be instituted to prevent
this failure in the future.
Although the two-hour flight did not
reach Mach 3.2, the combined
four-flight series proved that the
SR-71 is a viable testbed for
future technologies that need a
high-speed, high-altitude flight
environment.
Data obtained on the previous flight to Mach 3.0 can be confidently
extrapolated to Mach 3.2. Unlike wind
tunnels that are constrained by its walls, the SR-71 airplane flies
in actual atmospheric conditions, such as
moisture and temperatures, at extreme altitudes and speeds making it
an ideal testbed for supersonic flight.
NASA's Revolutionary Concepts (RevCon) project is one example of
possible future use of the SR-71 as a
testbed. The RevCon project encourages the development of ideas that
could lead to revolutionary
experimental planes.
The Pulse Detonation Engine, one of the first RevCon projects, is a
revolutionary approach for future
high-speed jet propulsion. The engine will have fewer parts, yet
greater propulsion efficiency, resulting in
lower maintenance and direct operating costs. It will eventually be
flown captive carry on Dryden's SR-71
"Blackbird" to speeds over Mach 3.
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Created: Thu Sep 30 12:25:27 EDT 1999