From: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V3 #49 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@harbor.ecn.purdue.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Thursday, 27 May 1993 Volume 03 : Number 049 In this issue: Another recent Aurora article Re: Mailing list FYI: Waveriders in Popular Mechanics blackbird mugs 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: Simon Storry Date: Wed, 26 May 93 10:04:05 +0100 Subject: Another recent Aurora article The Scotish `Sunday Picture Post' has printed a followup article to the one I forwarded recently. Again, the writer appears to have employed a considerable amount artistic(?) licence and I'd love to know where he gets his information:-) Still, I thought you'd like to see it anyway... Cheers Simon -------------- US Comes Clean On Spy Plane America has decided to come clean about its new spy-in-the-sky aircraft which uses a Scottish base for secret trials, writes our aviation correspondent. Last week The Sunday Picture Post gave readers graphic details and an artist's impression of the dart-shaped aircraft known as Project Aurora, funded by the CIA. Booms It has been using the runway at RAF Machrihanish, on the Mull of Kintyre, since November 1991 - its flights marked by supersonic booms. Those who work on Project Aurora in Britain and the USA are sworn to silence. Now the Pentagon in Washington is on the verge of unveiling the aircraft to the public. The US were equally secretive about their Stealth bomber which also used Machrihanish and was even folwn by RAF pilots - at a time the British Government, at American insistence, was denying its existence. A senior source in the US Air Force said the public were being made more aware of Project Aurora through the media. The risks of test flying are convincing US commanders that revealing the truth behind the project would be prudent. Aurora carries eight tonnes of liquid methane as fuel - making it a virtual flying bomb. A crash over a major town or city could cause immense damage. Yet fire chiefs in Scotland appear not to have been advised on how to tackle such a disaster. It is believed the aircraft uses the runway at Machrihanish only in the darkness. On the base, it is hidden in a heavily guarded hanger, with armed guards, and few are allowed to watch take-off and landing. -------------- ------------------------------ From: garrods@mace.cc.purdue.edu (garrods) Date: Wed, 26 May 93 09:01:01 -0500 Subject: Re: Mailing list I'll send you the form that you edit (with yes or no responses to receive their mail) and you then send it to the address included in the file. I found the info interesting but overwhelming. Sue Garrod ------------------------------ From: Jeffrey D. Flamm Date: Wed, 26 May 93 09:59:18 EDT Subject: FYI: Waveriders in Popular Mechanics Charlie Cockrell, the test engineer for the Mach 4 wavrider test mentioned in Popular Mechanics, asked me to forward this info to the group. Jeffrey Flamm Supersonic/Hypersonic Aerodynamics Branch NASA Langley Research Center flamm@shab00.larc.nasa.gov - ------ Forwarded Message - ------------- Here's some additional information of the design and testing of the Mach 4 waverider model that was featured in the June issue of Popular The waverider shape was produced using the University of Maryland Code, MAXWARP. The "straight" wing shape is a viscous-optimized waverider designed for maximum L/D at Mach 4.0, within certain volumetric constraints. The "cranked" leading edge design is from a concept developed by General Dynamics-Fort Worth (now Lockheed) as a means for improving the lateral stability of the vehicle as well as it's subsonic and transonic performance. It was designed by altering the planform shape of the straight waverider to maintain shock attachment along the outer leading edge. General Dynamics worked with NASA in developing the complete model design. The current concept examines the use of waveriders in the development of a representative hypersonic cruise vehicle, although waveriders have been mentioned as possible candidates for other types of vehicles as well. It is expected that the Mach number range of such a aircraft would be between 5.0 and 6.0. A Mach 4.0 design was chosen here to get the best range of data within the limitations of available facilities. The model is being tested in the high Mach number test section of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) at NASA Langley. The objectives of the test are to examine the effects on aerodynamic performance of integrated "real" aircraft components, such as canopies, control surfaces and engine packages into these "pure" waverider shapes. We expect that the performance will be reduced somewhat, but the issue is whether the performance of the integrated vehicle still provides an advantage over conventional hypersonic aircraft designs. Several different combinations are being tested, so we can examine everything from the "pure" waverider shape up to a fully integrated representative hypersonic cruise vehicle. (Our "pure" shape is a slight deviation from the optimized shaped produced by MAXWARP). The effects of the cranked leading edges as well as the effectiveness of control surfaces will also be examined. We have completed the force and moment tests on the model and are currently conducting runs to measure the pressures on the nozzle surface of the engine package. We will finish the test with some vapor screen runs on the two "pure" waverider configurations. We also plan some baseline CFD calculations to provide a comparison to the experimental data. Charles E. Cockrell, Jr. Supersonic/Hypersonic Aerodynamics Branch NASA Langley Research Center cockrel@shab06.larc.nasa.gov - ------ End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------ From: driver8@night.Corp.Sun.COM (Albert Handa) Date: Wed, 26 May 93 08:38:32 PDT Subject: blackbird mugs I accidently deleted the Blackbird mug offer-could someone please send me a copy of the post or the details? Thanks, Al ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V3 #49 ******************************** 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". 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