From: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V5 #696 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu Precedence: Skunk Works Digest Tuesday, 20 August 1996 Volume 05 : Number 696 In this issue: Re: Fwd: Re: New triangulare hypersonice plane announced [none] Re: New triangular hypersonic plane announced Re: Fwd: Re: New triangulare hypersonice plane announced Air Force Home Page FLIGHT TEST BOOK new aircraft book information Aerostat at Roving Sands Viktor Belenko Re: Aerostat at Roving Sands X-37 Announced [none] Mir and strange object Re: your mail the Report on Iron Mountain 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: dadams@netcom.com (Dean Adams) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 01:31:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: New triangulare hypersonice plane announced ... > Although, whether or not TACIT BLUE was a "great" unveiling, > what, in the hundreds of millions and canceled, hum, I wonder? I thought it was pretty "great" since it was the first deep-black airplane to come out of the cold in quite a while. I can never get enough of those! :) It also did a nice job of filling in some old Groom Lake rumor-gaps (i.e. the "Shamu" story). ------------------------------ From: David Lednicer Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:32:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [none] This is waaaayy of charter, but in reference to Brett's post: "DINSDALE! DINSDALE!" which is a reference to a Monty Python skit, there was a obit in the paper about six months ago for a London gangster, who was the "role model" for this skit. No, his last name wasn't Piranha and he didn't have tactical nuclear device to use in enforcing his protection money schemes, but otherwise, it was the same guy! - ------------------------------------------------------------------- David Lednicer | "Applied Computational Fluid Dynamics" Analytical Methods, Inc. | email: dave@amiwest.com 2133 152nd Ave NE | tel: (206) 643-9090 Redmond, WA 98052 USA | fax: (206) 746-1299 ------------------------------ From: "S.K. Whiteman" Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 12:01:44 EST Subject: Re: New triangular hypersonic plane announced From information distributed at EAA Oshkosh '96: Note: I have no connection with the following, I just happen to be at EAA Oshkosh '96. Accurate Automation Corporation is developing the LoFLYTE(tm) demonstration aircraft for NASA Langley Research Center and the U.S. Air Force Wright Laboratory under the Small Business Innovation Research Program. This is a testbed for neural network technologies. LoFLYTE(tm) will have an advanced avionics suite including GPS and video, as well as a neural network-based inner and outer loop flight control system. The LoFLYTE(tm) 100" waverider version was tested at NASA Langley Research Center in both the 12 foot Low Speed Tunnel and the 30 foot by 60 foot Full Scale Wind Tunnel. Waveriders are hypersonic aircraft that "ride" on their own shockwaves. The waverider shape was chosen because it represents a "worst case scenario" with control systems. 191 test were performed to test the stability and performance. As on Langley official told Aviation Week and Space Technology (September 4, 1995, p21), "Tests of the 8-ft long LoFLYTE model, built by Accurate Automation, Chattanooga, Tenn., verified that the Mach 5 designed's basic configuration 'is aerodynamically sound' within the low-speed regime." In August 1996, LoFLYTE(tm) will undergo subsonic flight testing as a UAV at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center/Edwards Air Force Base in California. The data gathered from the flight tests of the 100" remote controlled jet powered prototype will be used to develop a 23 foot unmanned vehicle as well as other aerodynamic shapes. The LoFLYTE(tm) 23 foot unmanned aircraft, according to Aviation Week and Space Technology (April 3, 1995, p 78), "will be used to explore new flight control technologies based upon adaptive neural networks." Accurate Automation's Neural Network Processor (NNP(r)) will be used for the flight control systems, together with an advanced redundant "Fly-by-Light" subsystem and neural air date sensor subsystem. The NNP(r) is a massively parallel, multiple instruction/multiple data implementation that is capable of more than 140 million connections per second with 8,000 neurons. Assisting Accurate Automation are Lockheed Martin, McDonnell-Douglas, Mississippi State University, Rockwell International, Pratt&Whitney, and SWB Turbines. LoFLYTE(tm) Specifications Length 281.2 inches Wingspan 155.9 inches Height 62.5 inches Takeoff Weight 1600 pounds Engine Specs for the 100" model Thrust Class 35 lbs Weight 8.5 lbs less fuel control Diameter 5.5 inches at outer flange Overall Length 13 inches inlet to tailpipe AAC's web page is at http://www.accurate-automation.com. I have no idea whats there, I don't have a connection...... In other news, anyone interested in the Bell X-2 there is an article in Aug 96 issue or Air International, p94. | / MI What do I know, I'm a geology major \ /___________________ Sam \_____/ | IBM Systems Programmer Chicago/ | * | O Indiana University - I | Ft. Wayne | H Purdue University at Fort Wayne L | 1794-1994 | Fort Wayne, Indiana USA ------------------------------ From: csmith9@vivanet.com (Chuck Smith) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 17:57:12 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: New triangulare hypersonice plane announced > >On Wed, 14 Aug 1996, Byron Weber wrote: > >> Thank you Dean. I stand corrected. No flaming or hostile >> response. I want to assure you there are those of us who consider >> you an informed and rational contributor to newsgroups. With > >Bob Lazar! UFOs! Aliens speak to me through my fillings! Roswell! Cover up! > >Now let's see what happens ;-) > KLAATU, BARODDA NIKTO! Chuck ------------------------------ From: tcrobi@most.fw.hac.com (Tom Robison) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 09:13:21 +0000 Subject: Air Force Home Page Excerpts from an Air Force News Release: KELLY AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- One of the Internet's most popular home pages became an even faster source of news when Air Force officials revealed the first major redesign of the official Air Force Home Page since its introduction more than a year ago. The Air Force's official web site on the Internet, Air Force Link, located at http://www.af.mil, has incorporated new graphics, easier-to-use features and other changes as a result of hundreds of customer suggestions. The changes are aimed at making Air Force Link a quick, one-stop shopping site for information about the Air Force. Air Force Link topics include the latest news about the men and women of the Air Force, biographical information about senior leaders, and photographs of high tech aircraft that can be downloaded onto the visitor's computer. "The 'Navigate' section shows all of our features at once, letting the user quickly find the right information," said Master Sergeant Lee Wayman, chief of the Communications Technology Branch, Air Force Internal Information. "When combined with the other new features of Air Force Link, this gives our visitors one-stop shopping for all major command, Air Force and Department of Defense news," she added. Tom Robison _|_ tcrobi@most.fw.hac.com -or- tcrobi@fortwayne.infi.net --X-X-(o)-X-X-- Herky Nut! ------------------------------ From: dadams@netcom.com (Dean Adams) Date: Sat, 17 Aug 1996 06:54:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: FLIGHT TEST BOOK FYI... The Flight Test Historical Foundation has released the following new book- FLIGHT TESTING AT EDWARDS: FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERS' STORIES: 1946 - 1975 The time period from end of World War II to the mid-1970s is considered the golden age flight. With war's end, America found itself with a large supply of young, experienced pilots, a bustling manufacturing capability, a robust economy, and a talented cadre of flight engineers who were eager to push down the limits of flight. The sound barrier was broken in the fall of 1947, and after that the momentum of aviation progress was unstoppable. Year after year, model after model, the industry made huge technological leaps forward, often on the dry lakebeds of Edwards Air Force Base. The hustle and bustle and occasional tragedy of those go-go years wrought a comraderie among the flight test engineers at Edwards that has lasted nearly half a century. Now, for the first time, those flight test engineers have compiled the touching, funny, poignant, and personal stories behind age of flight. These stories explore the human side of technology, where real people laugh, cry, admire each other's remarkable achievements, and mourn each other's losses. It is a fascinating insider's look into aviation's secret world--that of the flight test engineer. (255 pages). All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Flight Test Historical Foundation for the building of a museum at Edwards Air Force Base for the preservation of aviation history. Ordering info: $15.95 (includes postage) Flight Test Historical Foundation P.O. Box 57 Edwards, CA 93523 * ------------------------------ From: M C Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 15:14:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: new aircraft These are the specifications of a new NASA hypersonic aircraft. this baby is incredible. i got this info of the ftp.orst.edu FTP site. Specifications: _______________ Maximum speed: Mach 5.6 Cruising speed: Mach 5 Empty weight: 135,600 lbs. (61,640 kg). Maximum fuel carried: 145,000 lbs. (65,910 kg). Length: 207 feet (63.09 meters) Wingspan: 84 feet (25.60 meters) Engine type: combination turbojets/ramjets Fuel: liquid hydrogen Maximum range: 7,400 nautical miles (13,700 km) Cruising altitude: 90,000 feet (27,430 meters) Maximum altitude: 112,000 feet (34,140 meters) 1992 estimated cost per aircraft: 1.2 billion dollars (if 12 are purchased) - -brent cooper ------------------------------ From: JOHN SZALAY Date: Sun, 18 Aug 96 18:56:39 EDT Subject: book information Just received this from the NASA History Listserver. May contain useful reference material...... John Szalay jpszalay@tacl.dnet.ge.com - ---------------------------------------------------------- > Subj: New Booklet Available on Supersonic Research > > The NASA History Office has recently received a shipment of a new NASA > special publications, SP-513, hot off the press and free for the asking. > _Selected Examples of NACA/NASA Supersonic Flight Research_ was written by > two NASA engineers long working in this field, Edwin J. Saltzman and > Theodore G. Ayers. It is a relatively short work, but loaded with technical > information and will be useful to those working in the history of aviation > technology. > > Anyone who would like a copy can pick them up free of charge in the > NASA History Office. We will also send copies through the mail, but please > send by August 31, 1996, a written request, either e-mail or through regular > postal channels. Our postal address is: NASA History Office, Code ZH, NASA > Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546. The e-mail address is > rlaunius@hq.nasa.gov. Be sure to include a name and postal address on the > request. We will prepare a mailing of those requesting copies in early > September so that we can take advantage of bulk mailing rates. > > > Roger D. Launius > NASA Chief Historian > rlaunius@hq.nasa.gov - -------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: gss@HiWAAY.net (Glenn Schaffer) Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 21:44:37 -0500 Subject: Aerostat at Roving Sands A few weeks ago there were some questions about aerostats in the southwest United States. The following article appeared in two in-house newspapers here in Huntsville, the SSDC "Eagle" (Army Space and Strategic Defense Command) and the "Redstone Rocket" (on-base weekly for Redstone Arsenal). It should clear up misconceptions about the Army's (unclassified) current and planned use of aerostats. I contacted the author for permission to post to this list, and not only did she agree, but she sent me the text in a message (thanks, Connie!). The article was cleared for public release by SSDC. If there is continuing interest in the Army aerostats by people on this list, send me mail and I will see what else I can dredge up which is publicly releasable. Otherwise I'll drop the aerostat subject until I see something relevant to "real" skunk-works topics. You can find other public info about SSDC (and a little more on aerostat) at Glenn Schaffer [article begins] "Aerostat rises to the top at Roving Sands '96" Story and photos by Connie M. Davis, U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command [Public Affairs Office] WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. -- From as far away as the city of El Paso, Texas you could see the huge white balloon which looks much like the Goodyear blimp, hovering 10,000 feet high in the skies over New Mexico. But, it was not a blimp, it was the U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command's aerostat -- a 233 foot long, helium- filled balloon launched by the Joint Aerostat Project Management Office at McGregor Range, N.M. The aerostat proved to be a success at Roving Sands by tracking and detecting aircraft out to 200 miles. The smart balloon provided early warning and situational awareness to the battlefield commander and demonstrated the military utility of an aerostat system in an intense joint air operational environment. The Army's plan is to develop an even more advanced aerostat system to defend the United States and Allied forces against the cruise missile threat. During Roving Sands, the aerostat sensor detected, located, and tracked approximately 65 targets each hour. The data was then sent to the Force Projection Tactical Operations Center, located 60 miles away in Fort Bliss, Texas, and in turn was sent to the Air and Missile Defense Command Center. The defense center then forwarded the information to alert Patriot and SHORAD (short range air defense) units. "As it turned out," Col. Herbert Carr, Aerostat Project Manger said, "as soon as people knew we had it, everyone wanted it." Patriot and other players in the exercise wanted the aerostat radar information sent to them directly. The aerostat provides the battlefield commander with a "new set of eyes" to see over the horizon. When flying at its highest altitude of 15,000 feet above ground level, the aerostat "eyes," or sensor, can locate and track targets within a 200 mile range -- providing the battlefield commander with early warning of air and ground threats previously hidden from view. "Roving Sands was a golden opportunity for us to interface with military units and get early feedback from the soldiers," said Maj. Matthew Warren, SSDC Aerostat Test and Plans Officer, and site director for the aerostat Roving Sands demonstration. Dr. Paul Kaminski, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, recently said, "The aerostat offers a cost effective approach to protect both land and sea areas." The expense of using a single aerostat platform to perform 24-hour operations is considerably less costly than using several manned aircraft to perform the same function. The aerostat is filled with 590,000 cubic feet of non-explosive, non-flammable helium and has a hull volume two and a half times the volume of the largest advertising blimps flying today. The aerostat structure is made from laminated film and fabric which feels to the touch like a very strong piece of vinyl, and is much more durable than you might imagine. Aerostats differ from blimps, or air ships, in that blimps are powered and aerostats are tethered, or anchored, to the ground. The SSDC aerostat is anchored to its mooring system by a single tether cable that has a break strength of 75,000 pounds. The tether also supplies electrical power to the aerostat. Radio frequency links allow operators to control the aerostat from the ground station and to receive radar data. The project office is currently in the concept defination phase of its program and is using an aerostat borrowed from the U.S. Air Force for experimentation and demonstration. A few members of the aerostat team have unofficially adopted a mascot -- the song "Up, Up, and Away in My Beautiful Balloon" by the Fifth Dimension. The team hopes to have their first tactical aerostat prototype "up, up, and away" by the year 2001. [end of article] ------------------------------ From: Brett Davidson Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 14:57:45 +1200 (NZST) Subject: Viktor Belenko Out of curiousity, what exactly happened to Viktor Belenko? Is he sharing an apartment with Salman Rushdie and Elvis in Des Moines? What usually happens to defectors, do they enter something like a witness protection programme, or do they end up teaching at military academies and bases? - --Brett ------------------------------ From: Joe Vincent Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 00:39:30 +0000 Subject: Re: Aerostat at Roving Sands Glenn Schaffer wrote: snip > > [article begins] > > "Aerostat rises to the top at Roving Sands '96" > Story and photos by Connie M. Davis, U.S. Army Space and Strategic > Defense Command [Public Affairs Office] > > WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. -- From as far away as the city of El > Paso, Texas you could see the huge white balloon which looks much > like the Goodyear blimp, hovering 10,000 feet high in the skies over > New Mexico. But, it was not a blimp, it was the U.S. Army Space and > Strategic Defense Command's aerostat -- a 233 foot long, helium- > filled balloon launched by the Joint Aerostat Project Management > Office at McGregor Range, N.M. > The aerostat proved to be a success at Roving Sands by tracking > and detecting aircraft out to 200 miles. The smart balloon provided > early warning and situational awareness to the battlefield commander > and demonstrated the military utility of an aerostat system in an > intense joint air operational environment. The Army's plan is to > develop an even more advanced aerostat system to defend the United > States and Allied forces against the cruise missile threat. > During Roving Sands, the aerostat sensor detected, located, and > tracked approximately 65 targets each hour. The data was then sent > to the Force Projection Tactical Operations Center, located 60 miles > away in Fort Bliss, Texas, and in turn was sent to the Air and > Missile Defense Command Center. The defense center then forwarded > the information to alert Patriot and SHORAD (short range air defense) > units. > "As it turned out," Col. Herbert Carr, Aerostat Project Manger > said, "as soon as people knew we had it, everyone wanted it." > Patriot and other players in the exercise wanted the aerostat radar > information sent to them directly. > The aerostat provides the battlefield commander with a "new set > of eyes" to see over the horizon. When flying at its highest > altitude of 15,000 feet above ground level, the aerostat "eyes," or > sensor, can locate and track targets within a 200 mile range -- > providing the battlefield commander with early warning of air and > ground threats previously hidden from view. > "Roving Sands was a golden opportunity for us to interface with > military units and get early feedback from the soldiers," said Maj. > Matthew Warren, SSDC Aerostat Test and Plans Officer, and site > director for the aerostat Roving Sands demonstration. > Dr. Paul Kaminski, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, > recently said, "The aerostat offers a cost effective approach to > protect both land and sea areas." The expense of using a single > aerostat platform to perform 24-hour operations is considerably less > costly than using several manned aircraft to perform the same > function. > The aerostat is filled with 590,000 cubic feet of non-explosive, > non-flammable helium and has a hull volume two and a half times the > volume of the largest advertising blimps flying today. The aerostat > structure is made from laminated film and fabric which feels to the > touch like a very strong piece of vinyl, and is much more durable > than you might imagine. > Aerostats differ from blimps, or air ships, in that blimps are > powered and aerostats are tethered, or anchored, to the ground. The > SSDC aerostat is anchored to its mooring system by a single tether > cable that has a break strength of 75,000 pounds. The tether also > supplies electrical power to the aerostat. Radio frequency links > allow operators to control the aerostat from the ground station and > to receive radar data. > The project office is currently in the concept defination phase > of its program and is using an aerostat borrowed from the U.S. Air > Force for experimentation and demonstration. > A few members of the aerostat team have unofficially adopted a > mascot -- the song "Up, Up, and Away in My Beautiful Balloon" by the > Fifth Dimension. The team hopes to have their first tactical > aerostat prototype "up, up, and away" by the year 2001. > > [end of article] Is there another Frank Luke awaiting the repeat of history so he can "bust" our balloons of the future? ;-) - -- Joe Vincent YGBSM! (jvincent@netten.net) ------------------------------ From: CULLY@svr81trw.kee.aetc.af.mil (CULLY, George Mr) Date: 19 Aug 96 10:00:35 EDT Subject: X-37 Announced Without much fanfare, NASA has revealed "a new series of X-vehicles to flight test air-breathing rocket engines instead of continuing research started on the DC-XA SSTO." So says AW&ST, August 12, p. 20, which reports that NASA is seeking start-up funding in FY97-98, with 2-4 versions of the X-37 envisioned; they are to go around "new engines that will be developed under a separate technology effort launched last month." First flight would be about two years after X-33, i.e, 2001. Anybody have any more details on this? ------------------------------ From: John Burtenshaw Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:42:57 -0100 Subject: [none] HI folks A collegue has just posted this via internal e-mail, does anyone have an answer. I know its not skunky and please accept my apology for being *off topic*. Last night at 2158 local (2058 GMT), as space station "Mir" traversed the sky, it was being closely followed by another slightly smaller "object", does anyone OUT THERE know what this other object is ???. Regards John =========================================================================== John Burtenshaw Internet Applications Developer The Computer Centre, Bournemouth University - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Postal Address: Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, POOLE, Dorset, BH12 5BB U.K. Internet: jburtens@bournemouth.ac.uk Phone: 01202 595293 Fax: 01202 513293 Mobile: 0850 240931 AX.25: g1hok@gb7bnm.#45.gbr.eu. AMPRnet: g1hok.ampr.org. (44.131.17.82) =========================================================================== ------------------------------ From: John Burtenshaw Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:05:23 -0100 Subject: Mir and strange object Sorry about my original posting with no subject - haven't been the same since *they* abducted me to Alpha Centuri :-) I should have added that the observer was located in Southern England. I suspect it was a satellite in a higher orbit and what he saw was an optical illusion. Here's my original message again for anyone who missed it. Hi folks A collegue has just posted this via internal e-mail, does anyone have an answer. I know its not skunky and please accept my apology for being *off topic*. Last night at 2158 local (2058 GMT), as space station "Mir" traversed the sky, it was being closely followed by another slightly smaller "object", does anyone OUT THERE know what this other object is ???. I'll just go awya now and see if I can find my little Grey friends ;-) Cheers John =========================================================================== John Burtenshaw Internet Applications Developer The Computer Centre, Bournemouth University - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Postal Address: Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, POOLE, Dorset, BH12 5BB U.K. Internet: jburtens@bournemouth.ac.uk Phone: 01202 595293 Fax: 01202 513293 Mobile: 0850 240931 AX.25: g1hok@gb7bnm.#45.gbr.eu. AMPRnet: g1hok.ampr.org. (44.131.17.82) =========================================================================== ------------------------------ From: dadams@netcom.com (Dean Adams) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 04:11:20 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: your mail > Last night at 2158 local (2058 GMT), as space station "Mir" traversed the > sky, it was being > closely followed by another slightly smaller "object", does anyone OUT THERE > know what this other object is ???. Soyuz TM-24. They launched on August 17, and were scheduled to rendezvous with Mir on Monday. ------------------------------ From: jeremy.compton@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Jeremy Compton) Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 01:18:30 +1200 (NZST) Subject: the Report on Iron Mountain Dear Skunkers, Does anyone know anything about the report on Iron Mountain as l am very keen to find out anything l can for my own research, and anything you find could you please email me. I have been a skunker for over a year and very much enjoy reading everyones articles. Sorry about the off topic request. Cheers, Thanks very Much. Jeremy Jeremy Compton Jeremy.Compton@stonebow.otago.ac.nz _____________________________ Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark. ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #696 ********************************* 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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