From: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V5 #422 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Sunday, 17 September 1995 Volume 05 : Number 422 In this issue: F-117 deployment Re: Does a small space glider exist? F-117's HF capability ? 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: czbb062 Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 10:23:17 -0500 (CDT) Subject: F-117 deployment The morning paper said Italy refused permission for F-117 deployment to Aviano. Michael Eisenstadt (czbb062@access.texas.gov) http://www.eden.com/~madelon (<-Madelon's Recent Paintings) ------------------------------ From: David Windle Date: Sat, 16 Sep 1995 16:17:37 Subject: Re: Does a small space glider exist? >>I wrote: >Larry wrote: >>As far as a small space glider already existing, my money's on No, because >>this is an area which is being investigated, that would be redundant if >>such a vehicle was already "rubber on the ramp." > >What better way to verify your predictions that to go fly? A classified >testbed perhaps? Certainly in the Reagan days there would have been funding to support a testbed...and all the CFD in the world won't give you data as good as actually flying the thing...A glider would present far fewer problems than an air breather and as Mary mentioned the HL-20 Lifting body from NASA LARC. I thought I'd give a little background on it, as I'd guess there are some here who won't know much about that concept. The HL-20 PLS (Personnel Launch System) concept was similar to the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar of the 50s though naturally using updated technology and carrying more crew. It was to be launched into orbit by a disposable rocket. Designed as an alternative to the STS the PLS's niche was to enable the US to get astronauts and small high value payloads into orbit should the Shuttle be unavailable or too large for the job. Space Station duties and Sat repair were also part of the mission profile. Two designs were considered, the other from JSC being a blunt conical shape with a parachute landing system..I haven't seen a picture of this..but it sounds like a conventional capsule. I have a shot of the full scale HL-20 mock up built by the students and faculty of North Carolina State Univ. and North Carolina A&T Univ sitting on what looks like a pathed plaza with trees in the background..looks very pretty..a cross betwwen the HL-10 and the Shuttle..though being on a plaza looks a little weird ! The HL-20 was 29.5'long compared to the STS at 121.5'and had a wingspan of 23.5' compared to the Shuttle's 78.1'. This means that with wings folded it could fit into the Shuttle's cargo bay. Overall weight was to be 22,000 lb without crew compared to the Shuttle Orbiter's empty weight of 185,000 lb. Several models were made for different testing regimes, ranging from a six foot version for low speed force and movement tests to a six inch model for hypersonic testing. A thermographic phosphor technique was used to study heat transfer characteristics in high speed wind tunnel simulations..(for anyone who doesn't know this technique, it involves coating the model in phosphor which then glows at varying intensities under UV light.) LARC used a six-degree-freedom-of-movement trajectory analysis technique along with mass, inertia and aerodynamic properties of the HL-20 to investigate the re-entry and landing phase of the flight. Tests showed that under normal conditions the vehicle would be controllable in hypersonic entry using just 30 lbs of reaction control thruster or less than 200 lbs of fuel in cases where the vehicle's C of G is offset and upper atmospheric density and wind profiles are off-nominal. A Flight Sim was set up to study the landing phase from 15,000' I think that's quite enough from me. If anyone wants more details I'm happy to post what I have. You can see that the HL-20 was far more than a paper plane..but whether it, or something like it ever got built is an open question..I still think niet Larry ! On a more mundane subject..does anyone know why I seem to post twice when I post here..can't find Kean's address to ask Maybe it'll be OK this time..the power of +ve thinking and all that.... Best D ------------------------------ From: "Dave Batcho, N5JHV" <74603.1052@compuserve.com> Date: 17 Sep 95 00:21:33 EDT Subject: F-117's HF capability ? Folks -- There's been a lot of discussion lately among military communications monitors about whether or not the F-117's have hf radio capability in addition to normal VHF/UHF gear. Some say HF antennas would be difficult on a stealth aircraft; others say not so. I personally logged an HF radio check on HF from callsign SPEAR 11 a few days ago on one of the Air Force Global Networks. SPEAR is definitely a call used on UHF by the F-117's - I've heard it many times on UHF comms out of Holloman. (BTW, I often hear the Brit who is F-117 qualified using the SPEAR callsign.) Do any of you 'SKUNK'ers' know for sure if the F-117 has HF radio capability? Thanks, Dave B ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #422 ********************************* To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@mail.orst.edu". 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