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SSRT: Space Access Update no. 64 (DC-XA flight 1!)
- To: David <David@InterWorld.com>, hous0042 <hous0042@maroon.tc.umn.edu>, KellySt <KellySt@aol.com>, rddesign <rddesign@wolfenet.com>, Steve VanDevender <stevev@efn.org>, "T.L.G.vanderLinden" <T.L.G.vanderLinden@student.utwente.nl>, bmansur@oc.edu, zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl, jim@bogie2.bio.purdue.edu, DotarSojat@aol.com
- Subject: SSRT: Space Access Update no. 64 (DC-XA flight 1!)
- From: "L. Parker" <lparker@gnt.net>
- Date: Fri, 07 Jun 1996 15:41:17 -0500
>Return-Path: chrisj@mail.utexas.edu
>From: "Chris W. Johnson" <chrisj@mail.utexas.edu>
>To: "Single Stage Rocket Technology News" <ssrt-news@zimbazi.cc.utexas.edu>
>Subject: SSRT: Space Access Update no. 64 (DC-XA flight 1!)
>Date: Tue, 21 May 96 04:15:51 -0600
>Sender: listserv@zimbazi.cc.utexas.edu
>X-listname: <ssrt-news@zimbazi.cc.utexas.edu>
>
>
>Date: Tue, 21 May 1996 22:07:50 -0700 (MST)
>From: Donald Doughty <doughtd@pr.erau.edu>
>To: DC-X <delta-clipper@world.std.com>
>Subject: Space Access Update #64 5/18/96 (fwd)
>Reply-To: delta-clipper@europe.std.com
>
>
>
>Subject: Space Access Update #64 5/18/96
>
> Space Access Update #64 5/18/96
>
> DC-XA's First Flight Completed
> Vehicle Takes Minor Damage In Post-Flight Fire
>
> copyright 1996 by Space Access Society
>
>Saturday, May 18th, 1996 - The DC-XA single-stage rocket experimental
>vehicle flew this morning for the first time since its handover to NASA
>last year and major rebuild over the winter. The test took place at the
>same White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico site the original DC-X made
>its eight flights from. This first post-rebuild flight had originally
>been scheduled for Friday, but was delayed 24 hours by a faulty sensor
>on one of the vehicle's four RL-10-a5 rocket engines. This morning's
>flight was a minimal test-hop, 800 feet up from the launch stand, then
>350 feet sideways to over the landing pad, then a vertical descent and
>landing, total flight time of about a minute.
>
>The flight went as planned until the final landing phase, when the DC-XA
>descended the last few feet onto the concrete landing pad more slowly
>than expected. This final descent phase has been the object of ongoing
>tweaking dating back to the last several flights of the original DC-X.
>The target touchdown velocity is around four feet per second; previous
>touchdowns have varied from two feet per second to as high as fourteen
>feet per second - that last due to an invalid data problem with a radar
>altimeter rather than the landing control software, however.
>
>The problem with slow landings is that the vehicle sits in the backwash
>from the rocket engines too long, and the base of the vehicle can suffer
>heat damage. There is some thought being given to landing the potential
>followon to DC-XA (if McDonnell-Douglas wins the X-33 competition) on an
>open grid of some sort to reduce backwash, but meanwhile DC-XA lands on
>a plain concrete slab, and slow landings can cause problems.
>
>This morning's slow landing apparently started a small fire on the
>exterior of the vehicle. According to McDonnell-Douglas sources, the
>fire was promptly extinguished, and the vehicle has been de-fuelled and
>moved back to its launch stand in the normal manner. One of the
>vehicle's four body-flaps (hinged square control surfaces, one on each
>side of the conical vehicle near its base) was damaged and will have to
>be replaced. We're told there is no other obvious damage, but the
>structure around that body flap will be carefully inspected for possible
>heat damage. The DC-XA engineering/flight-test team will be looking
>into that and into why this landing was slow over the next few days,
>then implementing fixes.
>
>There's no telling at this point whether this will push back the next
>planned flight dates of June 7th and 8th, but our first guess would be
>that those will slip by a week or two. We'll likely know more in a few
>days, though.
>
>A quick bit of editorializing: Discovering and fixing this sort of
>problem is exactly why we test-fly experimental vehicles. Fly a little,
>see what breaks, figure out why, fix it, fly a little more. We look
>forward to the DC-XA crew discovering, and solving, more problems as
>this summer's test series continues.
>
> *end*
>
>
>
>
>
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+ Weave a circle 'round him thrice, and close your eyes with holy dread... +
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