From: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V3 #1 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Friday, 30 July 1993 Volume 03 : Number 001 In this issue: Underground Base @ Kelly AFB in Texas? resign skunk-works VTHL? New Airplane kit Re: Lockheed VTHL Blue Angels and their airshow schedule Re: Kelly's Way Non Destructive Xray See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the skunk-works or skunk-works-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rodb@slugo.corp.sgi.com (Rod Beckwith) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 08:22:35 -0700 Subject: Underground Base @ Kelly AFB in Texas? Hey gang, This is a repost of a story that was relayed to me that I had originally sent out in January of this year, I was curious if anybody had any info on Kelly AFB in Texas??? ================================================================================ I have just finished talking with an X-airman, he was in the USAF in the early sixties. He had Q5 Top Secret security clearence. He was an electronics technician & crypto expert, as was his father before him. I wanted to share this information with you all before I brought it out in a.a.v, for obvious reasons. I also wanted to see if anyone had heard about an underground base at Kelley/Kelly? AFB somewhere in Texas. He had some quite interesting stories that he told me, they are from memory, so they are not verbatim. Here is one of them: Timeline 1960-1963.....We will call him airman Smith: At the time this occured, airman Smith was stationed in W.Germany. One night he was orded to fly stateside for a hush-hush emergency. His orders were to secure damaged equiptment,store said equiptment in footlocker provided to him, sit on the locker, guard it with his life until he delivered it to an undisclosed location, where he was to disembark & repair damaged equiptment. He landed in some unmarked landing strip somewhere in the Nevada desert, where he met up with two other airmen from two other spots on the globe. They all traveled together to the CRASH site in an old jeep. The craft was one of ours, proto-pre-SR71 or something like that. He stated it was some kind of (fast) recon bird. They (the technicians) each had a piece of equiptment assigned to them. They were each responsable for those individual pieces & were not allowed to talk to each other about what they were doing. After retrieving the required parts, the were flown to Kelly/Kelley? AFB in Texas. They landed with no problem, this is where it gets kinda weird. As they are taxiing down the runway, they pull in between two hangars & were waiting for what he assumed would be one of thoses tow-vehicles to pull them into the hangar. The next thing he felt was very strange, he felt like they were going down, & after about 15 seconds as things got darker, he was quite sure of it. He estimated that it took about 3-5minutes to get to what he thought the bottom was. After diembarking from the plane, he was greeted by some gents that had black uniforms & black berets'. They had no markings or insignias at all. He did recall what he perceived as an enlisted man call one of the soliders Lieutenant. The Hanger/ was estimated to be about 100yds long & 60-100ft high, in a semi-dome configuration or quansit-hut(sp?) I didn't get a chance to ask how wide, but he did say the aircraft could be turned around fully in the area. There were no windows in the walls, only reinforced steel doors. He(airman Smith) felt that this area branched off in four different directions, he didn't elaborate why he felt this except to say that that is the impression he got. He & the other technicians were then escorted to separate small but highly sophisticated labs. He said the equiptment that he was allowed to use was years ahead of whatever was on the open market. He said that the most of the test equiptment he used was fairly easy to use as opposed to some of the equiptment he used on a daily basis. They (The airmen) were to analyze the equiptment & repair it. Each of the labs were equipped with sleeping quarters & all meals were brought to them. He was there for three days & did not see another soul(with the exceptions of the guards of course) , & was not allowed to roam the area at all. He was debriefed before he left for quite a few hours. Not a barn burner of a story, but I felt it might be interesting to some of you. When I get some TIME, I will fwd some of his other stories. Thanks , Rod - -- Rod Beckwith |$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$| The Datacom I/S |"The great obstacle of progress is not ignorance,| Nite rodb@corp.sgi.com|but the illusion of knowledge." | Net (415)390-2542 |$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$| Knight ------------------------------ From: stand@austin.ibm.com Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 10:39:16 -0500 Subject: resign skunk-works resign skunk-works stand@austin.ibm.com ------------------------------ From: rschnapp@metaflow.com (Russ Schnapp) Date: Thu, 29 Jul 93 09:37:49 PDT Subject: VTHL? Has anybody got any information on a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle proposed by the Lockheed Skunk-works? I'm given to understand that they have been showing the idea around Washington. Seems it goes by the moniker VTHL. ...Russ Schnapp Email: netcom!metaflow!rschnapp or rschnapp@Metaflow.com or rschnapp@BIX.com Metaflow Technologies Voice: 619/452-6608x230; FAX: 619/452-0401 La Jolla, California Unless otw specified, I`m speaking only for myself! ------------------------------ From: Rick Pavek Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 11:15:18 -0700 Subject: New Airplane kit Well, for all those of you waiting for the ultimate airplane kit, here's some news. Testors, in Late October, will release two new kits of highly interesting character. You'll see the XB-70 shaped Mothership, and the NASP-like 'Papoose'. From what I hear, the Mothership is designated SR-75. I don't know absolutely, but it resembles the drawings seen in AW and PM, etc. The two kits will be separate, but you'll be able to mate the payload with the carrier. These will be in 1/72d scale. These will also be "huge" as the Mothership is about the size of the XB-70. As I hear it, the molds are finished and the kit is in production. The first outlets to get it will be the large chains, like Target, KMart, etc. Another tidbit... when they were designing the kit they took the plans to the various people who have supposedly seen the real things and they've confirmed that they were very close to what they saw. I plan on getting at least two of each. Rick Rick Pavek | Never ask a droid to outdo its program. kuryakin@halcyon.com | It wastes your time and annoys the droid. Lazar's Android Works | Summa Nulla | Anonymous ------------------------------ From: larry@ichips.intel.com Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 12:14:06 -0700 Subject: Re: Lockheed VTHL Russ writes: > >Has anybody got any information on a single-stage-to-orbit vehicle proposed >by the Lockheed Skunk-works? I'm given to understand that they have been >showing the idea around Washington. Seems it goes by the moniker VTHL. Earlier this year AW&ST had a short blurb about an alleged Lockheed replacement for NASP named NORA (National Orbital Research Aircraft). It was to be an 80K lb. manned research vehicle, scramjet-powered, with a $5 billion price tag and a first flight in 1998. I talked to Ben Rich towards the end of March this year and I asked him about this NORA thing. He told me to forget it. That there was some work going on but that it was way too early yet to say anything about it. I don't know if NORA became VTHL. Where did you hear this Russ? It's OK if you can't say. Larry ------------------------------ From: Rick Pavek Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 13:16:36 -0700 Subject: Blue Angels and their airshow schedule Pardon the bandwidth, guys. Just though you'd like to know that the Blue Angels are definately flying airshows this year. Each year, the feature non-hydrofoil attraction of SeaFair in Seattle is the Blue Angels. As is their usual routine they arrive a few days early and run practice shows from Thursday to Saturday, with the 'real' show on Sunday. (I like to go out on the I-90 Floating Bridge and get 'right under' them... awesome). Well, today they were practicing their low-level airshow routine. Beeeeyouteefull. 8-9 Rick Rick Pavek | Never ask a droid to outdo its program. kuryakin@halcyon.com | It wastes your time and annoys the droid. Lazar's Android Works | Summa Nulla | Anonymous ------------------------------ From: larry@ichips.intel.com Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 14:38:16 -0700 Subject: Re: Kelly's Way Sorry if this appears twice. Our mailer died. Another little tidbit from "Kellys Way" that I found interesting was inside Kelly's notebook entitled: "Basic Approach To Design Of U-3"; April 21, 1958. There were some references to an engine with the name JT-12. I thought this was interesting in that it used the P&W nomenclature "JT-". This engine was referenced several times in Kelly's design notes. One of the most interesting references was in the frontal view of a quite radical looking aircraft that had JT-12 installations in the lower stab/fins and a rocket in the upper stab/wing. I then recalled that the J-58 bleed/bypass turbojet that the A-12 and SR-71 were designed to use was actually called the JT-11D. So looking for a source of information on the JT-12, I found a reference (Gunston - "Aero Engines") that indicates a small P&W engine designed by P&W Canada. I wonder if that was the original JT-12? The final reference I saw to the JT-12 in Kelly's notebook stated: "Don't use JT-12s". This looks like it may have been a note Kelly wrote while in Washington reviewing one of the Archangel designs with the CIA, although who knows? Anybody know more about this JT-12? Larry ------------------------------ From: S.Dray@ste0402.wins.icl.co.uk Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 08:49:30 +0100 Subject: Non Destructive Xray - ------------------------------ Start of body part 1 A quick word from Nasa - ------------------------------ Start of body part 2 Drucella Andersen Headquarters, Washington, D.C. July 28, 1993 (Phone: 202/358-4727) Kirsten Williams Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. (Phone: 804/864-6124) RELEASE: 93-137 NASA ADAPTING UNIQUE X-RAY SYSTEM TO INSPECT AIRCRAFT NASA is adapting an existing, cutting-edge x-ray system to improve inspections of aging aircraft while saving American industries money. The x-ray system, which combines TV-like scanning by x-ray beams with digital data acquisition, was originally intended for medical, dental and other industrial purposes. Researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., have devised several unique aeronautical and aerospace applications for the system. "We want to take advantage of a novel system, slightly modify it and use it for aircraft," said Dr. Joseph Heyman, Head of Langley's Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch. "We will use it for measuring composite materials, for assessing damage growth in materials and for supporting tests to assess how structures behave under stress." To enhance safe air travel, Langley will adapt the system to inspect aircraft wings, turbines and propeller blades for corrosion, cracks and disbonding. "This research is part of our mandate to work with the Federal Aviation Administration to improve safety and reliability," Heyman said. Because the system yields depth information, this x-ray technique also may be used by NASA to view how fibers mesh in three-dimensional composites and to monitor them for internal damage. Other potential uses include checking for changes in solid rocket fuel over time. "It's such a broad applications area," Heyman said. "I see it as a general purpose tool for NASA and for industry." Before NASA can employ the machine, researchers must miniaturize the system's sensors. They then can be inserted into internal structures to inspect entire aircraft, including hard-to-reach corners and crevices. Under a NASA contract, the Digiray Corp., which developed, patented and marketed the system, has boosted its power so thicker aircraft parts can be imaged. Langley researchers also must come up with methods to ensure the accuracy of the data and to enhance interpretation of the x-ray image. "We need to develop computational models that can take the data we obtain using the Digiray system and essentially map it into something that can be quantitatively interpreted," said Dr. William Winfree, a NASA senior researcher. "Other evaluation methods like ultrasonics and thermography exist, but are used for different purposes," Winfree added. "We believe that these types of technologies, which improve image quality, permit reliable airframe inspection and reduce cost." Transferring the Technology NASA hopes to sign a memorandum of agreement with Digiray Corp. that approves Langley's applications and adaptations. NASA has a rigorous technology transfer program to let aerospace technology permeate the private sector. Langley researchers will share these unique uses of the x-ray technology with commercial air fleets, as well as other industries. There also are potential spin-off uses, such as improved medical x-rays and assembly-line part scanning to control production quality. "This technology cooperation will expand the use for this product and will help U.S industries maintain product quality," Heyman said. "We as a national lab should be a resource for U.S. industry, helping them become more competitive." - - ------------------------------ End of forwarded message 1 - ------- End of Forwarded Message - ------------------------------ End of body part 2 ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V3 #1 ******************************* To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "listserv@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-skunk-works": subscribe skunk-works-digest local-skunk-works@your.domain.net To unsubscribe, send mail to the same address, with the command: unsubscribe skunk-works-digest in the body. 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