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Destination Tomorrow - DT3 - Lifting Body Aircraft

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Subido el 28 de mayo de 2007 por EducaMadrid

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NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment exploring the origins of the design of the space shuttle called the lifting body design shape.

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We've all seen the space shuttle taking off, but most of us take its design for granted 00:00:00
today. 00:00:10
It wasn't too many years ago that this unusual design shape was considered impractical. 00:00:11
That was until a resourceful engineer from NASA named Dale Reed began working on design 00:00:16
shapes called lifting bodies, which would change the shape of reusable spacecraft. 00:00:20
The lifting body concept evolved in the late 1950s as researchers considered alternatives 00:00:25
to the simple ballistic design of space capsules. 00:00:30
Many felt that astronauts should have a more sophisticated vehicle that they could fly 00:00:34
back and land on Earth from space. 00:00:37
The lifting body idea was unusual because the vehicle didn't have any wings. 00:00:40
The shape of its body alone had sufficient lift to fly. 00:00:44
Despite favorable research on lifting bodies, there was little support for a flight program 00:00:48
at NASA headquarters. 00:00:52
Engineer Dale Reed decided that a flight demonstration was needed before wingless 00:00:55
aircraft could be taken seriously. 00:00:58
So in February 1962, he built a model lifting body and launched it from a radio-controlled 00:01:00
mothership in his backyard. 00:01:06
While Dale flew the model, his wife took home movies of these flights, which helped Reed 00:01:08
convince his boss to give the go-ahead for the construction of a full-scale version. 00:01:12
But they would have to build it without funding support from NASA headquarters. 00:01:17
There was very little confidence among NASA headquarters planners of spacecraft missions 00:01:20
in the lifting body concept. 00:01:29
It was strictly a theory and an idea that a few technical people had. 00:01:31
We felt, we flight test people felt that if we were to fly one of these and demonstrate 00:01:37
that they can fly, then it would be, the lifting body would be considered for future designs 00:01:43
for future spacecraft. 00:01:49
NASA craftsmen and engineers took on the task and began building this new vehicle that they 00:01:51
dubbed the M2F1. 00:01:55
It was built with a tubular steel interior frame and a mahogany plywood shell. 00:01:57
We did this on an informal basis. 00:02:02
I was allowed to select my team of engineers and technicians that had experience in building 00:02:04
home-built airplanes. 00:02:14
And we proceeded with the design and construction of the vehicle in that fashion. 00:02:16
Once the vehicle was done, Reed and other engineers towed the M2F1 across the desert 00:02:22
runway with a souped-up Pontiac convertible. 00:02:27
On April 5, 1963, pilot Milt Thompson lifted the M2F1's nose off the ground for the first 00:02:30
time, proving the lifting body concept. 00:02:36
Later tests were done with a NASA C-47 that lifted the M2F1 to about 12,000 feet and released 00:02:39
it. 00:02:44
The lifting body dove toward the ground at 150 miles per hour, but the landing was smooth 00:02:45
and the lifting body program was on its way. 00:02:50
That was probably the most exciting thing in my career, with Milt Thompson being released 00:02:53
at 12,000 feet, doing a successful flare out of a very steep approach and coming very softly 00:02:59
on the lake bed. 00:03:07
I feel very proud of the fact that we accomplished a very major milestone in history by demonstrating 00:03:08
an airplane that can fly without wings and that can be applied to exciting designs of 00:03:17
the future, especially in the spacecraft field. 00:03:25
More than 400 ground tows and over 100 aircraft tow flights were carried out on the M2F1. 00:03:28
The lifting body research was used heavily in the design of the space shuttle and is 00:03:34
still being used today to design new vehicles like the X-38. 00:03:38
The lifting body program has proven to be one of the most valuable programs in NASA 00:03:42
history. 00:03:46
During the course of the original lifting body program, six different lifting body shapes 00:03:49
were flown a total of 230 times, eventually reaching an altitude of 90,000 feet and a 00:03:52
speed of Mach 1.86. 00:03:57
Coming up, we'll see how NASA researchers are developing new technologies that will 00:04:00
make flying safer and more efficient. 00:04:03
But first, did you know that the M2F1 was very inexpensive to build? 00:04:06
The budget for the project was only about $30,000. 00:04:11
In comparison, it is more expensive to operate an F-15 fighter for five hours. 00:04:14
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Idioma/s:
en
Niveles educativos:
▼ Mostrar / ocultar niveles
      • Nivel Intermedio
Autor/es:
NASA LaRC Office of Education
Subido por:
EducaMadrid
Licencia:
Reconocimiento - No comercial - Sin obra derivada
Visualizaciones:
491
Fecha:
28 de mayo de 2007 - 17:04
Visibilidad:
Público
Enlace Relacionado:
NASAs center for distance learning
Duración:
04′ 22″
Relación de aspecto:
4:3 Hasta 2009 fue el estándar utilizado en la televisión PAL; muchas pantallas de ordenador y televisores usan este estándar, erróneamente llamado cuadrado, cuando en la realidad es rectangular o wide.
Resolución:
480x360 píxeles
Tamaño:
25.43 MBytes

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