1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,280 We've all seen the space shuttle taking off, but most of us take its design for granted 2 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:11,280 today. 3 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:16,560 It wasn't too many years ago that this unusual design shape was considered impractical. 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,960 That was until a resourceful engineer from NASA named Dale Reed began working on design 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:25,960 shapes called lifting bodies, which would change the shape of reusable spacecraft. 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,880 The lifting body concept evolved in the late 1950s as researchers considered alternatives 7 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:34,520 to the simple ballistic design of space capsules. 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,880 Many felt that astronauts should have a more sophisticated vehicle that they could fly 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,520 back and land on Earth from space. 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,980 The lifting body idea was unusual because the vehicle didn't have any wings. 11 00:00:44,980 --> 00:00:48,800 The shape of its body alone had sufficient lift to fly. 12 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,840 Despite favorable research on lifting bodies, there was little support for a flight program 13 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,200 at NASA headquarters. 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:58,640 Engineer Dale Reed decided that a flight demonstration was needed before wingless 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,920 aircraft could be taken seriously. 16 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:06,600 So in February 1962, he built a model lifting body and launched it from a radio-controlled 17 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:08,800 mothership in his backyard. 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,600 While Dale flew the model, his wife took home movies of these flights, which helped Reed 19 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,040 convince his boss to give the go-ahead for the construction of a full-scale version. 20 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,880 But they would have to build it without funding support from NASA headquarters. 21 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:29,800 There was very little confidence among NASA headquarters planners of spacecraft missions 22 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,880 in the lifting body concept. 23 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:37,520 It was strictly a theory and an idea that a few technical people had. 24 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:43,020 We felt, we flight test people felt that if we were to fly one of these and demonstrate 25 00:01:43,020 --> 00:01:49,120 that they can fly, then it would be, the lifting body would be considered for future designs 26 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,800 for future spacecraft. 27 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:55,680 NASA craftsmen and engineers took on the task and began building this new vehicle that they 28 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:57,880 dubbed the M2F1. 29 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,540 It was built with a tubular steel interior frame and a mahogany plywood shell. 30 00:02:02,540 --> 00:02:04,680 We did this on an informal basis. 31 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:14,960 I was allowed to select my team of engineers and technicians that had experience in building 32 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:16,760 home-built airplanes. 33 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:22,640 And we proceeded with the design and construction of the vehicle in that fashion. 34 00:02:22,640 --> 00:02:27,200 Once the vehicle was done, Reed and other engineers towed the M2F1 across the desert 35 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,040 runway with a souped-up Pontiac convertible. 36 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:36,120 On April 5, 1963, pilot Milt Thompson lifted the M2F1's nose off the ground for the first 37 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,080 time, proving the lifting body concept. 38 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:44,920 Later tests were done with a NASA C-47 that lifted the M2F1 to about 12,000 feet and released 39 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:45,920 it. 40 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:50,760 The lifting body dove toward the ground at 150 miles per hour, but the landing was smooth 41 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:53,520 and the lifting body program was on its way. 42 00:02:53,520 --> 00:02:59,480 That was probably the most exciting thing in my career, with Milt Thompson being released 43 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:07,360 at 12,000 feet, doing a successful flare out of a very steep approach and coming very softly 44 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:08,360 on the lake bed. 45 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:17,160 I feel very proud of the fact that we accomplished a very major milestone in history by demonstrating 46 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:25,440 an airplane that can fly without wings and that can be applied to exciting designs of 47 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,560 the future, especially in the spacecraft field. 48 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:34,640 More than 400 ground tows and over 100 aircraft tow flights were carried out on the M2F1. 49 00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:38,240 The lifting body research was used heavily in the design of the space shuttle and is 50 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,240 still being used today to design new vehicles like the X-38. 51 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,520 The lifting body program has proven to be one of the most valuable programs in NASA 52 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,160 history. 53 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,700 During the course of the original lifting body program, six different lifting body shapes 54 00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:57,520 were flown a total of 230 times, eventually reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet and a 55 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,360 speed of Mach 1.86. 56 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,720 Coming up, we'll see how NASA researchers are developing new technologies that will 57 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,200 make flying safer and more efficient. 58 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:11,160 But first, did you know that the M2F1 was very inexpensive to build? 59 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,160 The budget for the project was only about $30,000. 60 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,160 In comparison, it is more expensive to operate an F-15 fighter for five hours.