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Destination Tomorrow - DT11 - Spin Tunnel
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NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment describing the development of the Vertical Spin Tunnel, designed by NACA engineers to study the flight conditions of an aircraft in spin.
To better understand aerodynamic forces, early pilots
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and engineers pushed aircraft's tolerances to the limit.
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But by pushing the limits,
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some pilots experienced a very frightening aerodynamic
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phenomenon called a flat spin.
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In an effort to better understand this phenomenon,
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NASA's predecessor, NACA,
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developed a unique wind tunnel called the 20-foot
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vertical spin tunnel.
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This tunnel was designed to not only study the unique flight
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conditions of an aircraft in spin,
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but also teach pilots recovery techniques
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to avoid a fatal crash.
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The research performed at this tunnel would have a direct
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impact on virtually every American aircraft
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from World War II through today.
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Early in 1941, the National Advisory Committee
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for Aeronautics, or NACA,
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completed its new 20-foot vertical spin tunnel.
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This tunnel tested a very different type
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of flight situation than the tunnels researchers were
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accustomed to using.
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The traditional way to test aircraft
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in a wind tunnel is by mounting an aircraft in the wind stream
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to evaluate the aircraft's flight characteristics.
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This type of testing is very effective when testing an
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aircraft in normal flight situations.
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But data from a traditional wind tunnel could not adequately
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account for unusual flight conditions, like a flat spin.
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As a plane enters a flat spin, air is not moving
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over the control surfaces as it should,
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which renders the plane's controls virtually useless.
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To help find ways for aircraft to recover
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from these dangerous spins,
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researchers test small-scale models in the spin tunnel.
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The idea behind the spin tunnel is simple.
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A large fan pulls a column of air up through the middle
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of the tunnel.
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Then a researcher launches an airplane model directly
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into the airflow by hand.
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As the model spins downward,
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the operator increases wind speeds
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until the model's fall is just balanced by the uprushing air.
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Then the control surfaces
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of the model are systematically activated electromagnetically
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to find out which ones allow the model
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to recover from the spin.
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This same basic technique that was used
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in 1941 is still being used today,
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but researchers now use computers to track unique markers
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on the bottom of the plane
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to measure the aircraft's spin characteristics.
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With these measurements,
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researchers can determine design modifications
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and pilot training procedures, which can help pull a plane
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out of a spin, saving the plane and the pilot
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from a catastrophic accident.
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This simple system has worked especially well over the years.
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During World War II, every fighter, light bomber,
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attack plane, and trainer, over 300 designs
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in all were tested in the spin tunnel.
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Subsequently, over half of these aircraft were modified
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in some way to ensure that their controls would be able
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to pull them out of a spin.
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Today, the spin tunnel is still testing many different types
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of designs, from small general aviation planes
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to the Mars sample return capsules.
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Since it opened for business in 1941,
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nearly every American military fighter has been tested
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in this tunnel.
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However, with 10 percent
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of all military air accidents still occurring due
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to the flat spin, the NASA Langley 20-foot vertical spin
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tunnel will undoubtedly continue to save lives
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for many years to come.
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Did you know that Lieutenant Francis Evans became one
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of the first aviators
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to develop an effective spin recovery technique?
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In 1917, while attempting to get his pontoon plane
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into a loop, Lieutenant Evans inadvertently went into a spin.
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As he maneuvered out of the spin,
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he realized that he had unwittingly discovered an
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effective spin recovery maneuver.
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He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross nearly 20 years
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later for his life-saving discovery.
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- Idioma/s:
- 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:
- 639
- Fecha:
- 28 de mayo de 2007 - 17:05
- Visibilidad:
- Público
- Enlace Relacionado:
- NASAs center for distance learning
- Duración:
- 03′ 40″
- 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:
- 21.41 MBytes
