From: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V5 #262 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Sunday, 7 May 1995 Volume 05 : Number 262 In this issue: X-33 Details Black Helos/Russian Flight crews signs to watch for 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: David Windle Date: Sat, 06 May 1995 15:08:50 Subject: X-33 Details Ok-here's the X-33 info. Some of you will clearly already know some/all of this-and more-so please bear with me- judging by the volume of requests for background details there's quite a demand. I thought that posting this will help to bring some degree of parity to the discussion that I hope will result. Any further stuff will of course be most welcome. Overview: After exploring several re-usable launch vehicle concepts including the winged body TAV and conical X-Rocket, several lifting body configs and TSTO-Star Clipper, LADC has arrived at what it believes to be the best combination.The programme is being developed by LADC-Martin Marietta - Rocketdyne and Rohr. It's a wingless lifting body, with the by now legendary Linear aerospike rocket engine using Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen. The X-33 will be a vertical take off / horizontal landing vehicle designed to deliver 40,000 lb of payload to LEO or 25,000 lb to Space Station orbit. The aim is to develop a vehicle that has more in common with aircraft type payload integration and maintenance-thus lowering turnaround times and costs. Construction: The X-33 will benefit from the evolution of new technologies, developed since the Shuttle began operating - Advanced composite structural materials, metallic and ceramic matrix composite thermal protection systems, and improvements in liquid rocket engine design. Bottom surface heating levels during re-entry will be lower than the Shuttle due to the large body radii and low planform loading afforded by the lifting body shape. These factors should result in an easily maintainable system. Because of the properties of the Lifting Body, aerodynamic surfaces are for control only rather than lift, thus saving on weight. "Body flaps trail from the upper and lower surfaces of the vehicle outboard of the linear engine on each side. These flaps are deflected to generate pitch, roll and secondary yaw moments for aerodynamic control and trim during descent. Canted (outwards) vertical tails with elevons are employed primarily for directional stability and control. The leading edges of the vertical tails are swept aft to an angle inside the shock wave during atmospheric re-entry to minimize aerodynamic heating" Propulsion: "A key component of the Lockheed Concept is the Linear Aerospike Engine originally developed by the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International as a candidate propulsion system for the Space Shuttle. The system shown in the illustration during hot fire testing used cryogenic propellant pumps developed for the Saturn J-2 engine. It generated 250,000 lb of thrust at sea level, proving many of the Key technologies required for a large scale,operable aerospike engine. The equivalent of $1 billion in 1994 dollars was spent in it's development making it the most mature rocket engine concept that has yet to be flight tested. Significant groundwork towards that objective has been accomplished in over 5,000 tests on aerospike systems built in both axisymmetric and linear configurations. The engine incorporates small combustion chambers (thrusters) side-by-side exhausting onto a common surface.There is an equal number of upper and lower thrusters on each module (typically 8-10 total) fed by a shared turbopump pair. A module is a stand alone engine unit, incorporating it's ownexpansion surface cooling elements. Thrust loads are distributed evenly along the upper and lower expansion ramps, and are then transferred directly into the vehicle aft body structure. Whereas conventional bell nozzles are designed for a specific altitude and perform non-optimally elsewhere the aerospike engine automatically adjusts for optimum performance at all altitudes. This 'altitude compensation' feature occurs as the exhaust plume from the thrusters expands against the ramp along one side, and out to the freestream air on the other side. The result is maximum engine thrust per unit of propellant burned. During ascent, control moments are generated by differential throttling of segments of the main engines. Engine gimballing is unnecessary. Thrust vectoring through differential throttling is achieved by placing electromechanical valves in the feed lines between the turbopumps and the thrusters. Turbo machinery speed is maintained at constant levels, while differential valving varies the resultant engine thrust levels. This feature negates the requirement for heavy gimbaling systems and leak susceptible flexible propellant feed line joints common to conventional rocket engines.This approach also ensures rapid thrust vectoring response rates during critical phases of the ascent trajectory." Projected Mission Cost: ".....could be as low as $25 million per mission, equating to just over $600 / lb. The greater the number of vehicles in service, the higher the yearly launch rate can be, enabling the support infrastructure to operate closer to maximum capacity and efficiency. This would provide even greater flexibility in the pricing structure, enabling costs per launch to be lowered even further." Conclusion: The underlying philosophy of Lockheed's development program is to "harvest" and integrate existing high potential technologies...lightweight advanced composite materials, structural concepts and manufacturing technologies developed for vehicles such as the Bell/Boeing V-22 and the wingless lifting body re-entry vehicle concept, tested by the USAF and NASA prior to the development of the Space Shuttle orbiter. That test program included high speed flight of at least five lifting body variants.... Technology advancements and lessons learned during the NASP program also contribute to the concept. Lockheed Fort Worth (LFWC) a contributing member of the team, led the development of a graphite composite liquid hydrogen tank for NASP. Rohr Inc is also a key team member and an industry leader in the design and manufacture of high temperature structural materials. Their expertise will be brought to bear on SSTO heated structures and thermal protection systems for re-entry....the majority of required technologies are sufficiently mature for near term development of an operational SSTO vehicle, and the greatest challenges reside in effective integration of those technologies. Emphasis on technology integration rather than technology development will result in the greatest leverage of available resources." There you have it...the background on the LADC X-33 programme. For those who are thinking "tell me something I don't know" - my semi-sincere apologies ! Looks like the US will be leading the world into the second generation of space planes, having shown the way with the unfairly maligned Shuttle. David ------------------------------ From: DaveB7012@aol.com Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 14:05:01 -0400 Subject: Black Helos/Russian Flight crews It is very likely that the Helos and crews were from Squad. Three out of Jacksonville, FL. They are a SO team usually attached to an amphibious battle group. Just my two cents worth... Dave Barstow (DaveB7012@aol.com) ------------------------------ From: TRADER@cup.portal.com Date: Sat, 6 May 95 14:03:00 PDT Subject: signs to watch for Since we are interested in classified ("black") aircraft activities, how do we know when to pay attention to events?? Fortunately, the U.S. Air Force provided a list in Air Force Instruction 10-1101, "Operations Security (OPSEC) Instructions", May 19, 1994. In Attachment 3 of this document, the following appears: - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOURCES OF OPSEC INDICATORS NOTE: This list is NOT all inclusive, it is provided as a stimulus only. The only limit here is your own imagination! A3.1 Operations Indicators * Stereotyped activities such as schedules, test preparations, range closures * Visits of VIPs associated with a particular activity or technology * Abrupt changes or cancellations of schedules * Specialized equipment * Specialized training * Increased telephone calls, conferences, and longer working hours (including weekends) A3.2 Communications Indicators * Specialized and unique communications equipment * Power sources * Increases and decreases in communications traffic * Call signs * Transmitter locations A3.3 Administrative Indicators * Military orders * Distinctive emblems, logos, and other markings on personnel, equipment and supplies * Transportation arrangements * Schedules, orders, flight plans, and duty rosters * Leave cancellations A3.4 Logistics and Maintenance Support Indicators * Unique sized and shaped boxes, tanks, and other containers * Pre-positioned equipment * Technical representatives * Maintenance activity * Unique or special commerical services * Deviations of normal procedures * Physical security arrangements - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com / PaulMcG@aol.com http://www.portal.com/~trader/home.html ********************************************************************** Anonymous FTP access to files dealing with excessive military secrecy is available from Internet host ftp.shell.portal.com (IP address 156.151.3.4) in the /pub/trader directory. Read the 00readme files for descriptions of the files. Writings from Glenn Campbell, author of the "Area 51 Viewer's Guide" are available in /pub/trader/secrecy/psychospy. (America Online users can use Keyword:FTP, and Web users can use URL ftp://ftp.shell.portal.com/pub/trader/ ) ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #262 ********************************* To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@mail.orst.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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