BWB Arrives at Dryden

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Volume 48 Issue 1 Dryden Flight Research Center July 2006 Earth Science Dryden capabilities contribute to demonstration missions By Jay Levine X-Press Editor The Western States Unmanned Aircraft Systems Fire Mission is scheduled to begin Aug. 14, with Dryden and Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., assisting the U.S. Forest Service, said Robert Navarro, Dryden’s Altair project manager. The Altair, leased by Dryden from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego, will fly at altitudes of about 43,000 feet during missions, which will originate from the General Atomics facility at Gray Butte, Calif. “Altair is carrying an instrument that will penetrate smoke and ash and transmit the imagery down to a station on the ground,” explained Navarro, referring to the Autonomous Modular System, which uses multi-spectral line scanning that utilizes thermal channels. “The images will be available to the fire commander, in near-real time, and will show the fire’s hot spots to help efficiently use resources on the ground to knock down the flames.” In addition, software in the ground mission planning system will superimpose road maps and other valuable information EC05 0234-28 NASA Photo by Carla Thomas in near-real time to assist firefighters in General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ uninhabited Altair will begin a series of missions in August to prove the utility of unmanned air systems See Science, page 4 in carrying instruments to help field commanders gather information for use in battling summer wildfires in western states. BWB arrives at Dryden ■ ‘Flying wing on steroids’ could mark Ian Brooks, a Cranfield the shape of things to come in aviation Aerospace employee, works on the Boeing By Jay Levine Phantom Works X-48B X-Press Editor Blended Wing Body A low-speed, 8.5-percent-scale flight research prototype of aircraft. The aircraft Boeing Phantom Works’ Blended Wing Body concept aircraft, and a second X-48B also known as the X-48B, arrived at Dryden in June. used in Langley Research The X-48B is a subscale testbed for exploring and validating Center, Hampton, Va., the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of a wind tunnel tests, ar- futuristic aircraft design called the blended wing body, or BWB. rived at Dryden in June. It is similar to a flying wing, an airplane shaped entirely like an The low-speed, 8.5-per- airfoil without a conventional fuselage or empennage. Flying cent-scale flight research wing concepts of the 1940s looked like propeller-driven or jet- prototype is expected to powered boomerangs. The BWB design suggests a flying wing begin a series of research on steroids, with several distinguishing features. flights later this year or The front section of a full-scale BWB airplane, containing the in early 2007. cockpit, extends forward of the wing’s leading edge while the central portion encompasses the passenger or cargo compart- See Blended Wing Body, page 15 EC06 0107-05 NASA Photo by Tony Landis Inside

Employees welcome family Dryden teams, individuals Dryden Loads Laboratory has Flight research plants seeds members to work, page 5 win NASA Awards, page 6 multiple capabilities, page 8 for the future, page 10 News July 2006 Constellation: News Program for human and robotic exploration of the at NASA moon and Mars will involve all NASA ﬁeld centers

NASA News Services Clock ticks n a June 5 briefing broadcast agency-wide, NASA officials outlined slowly for agency and center responsibilities associated with the Constellation Iprogram for human and robotic explora- ozone layer tion of the moon and Mars. The Antarctic ozone hole’s recovery is The distribution of work across NASA running late. According to a new NASA centers reflects the administration’s inten- study, the full return of the protective tion to productively use personnel, facili- ozone over the South Pole will take ties and resources from across the agency nearly 20 years longer than previously to accomplish space exploration goals. expected. “Our past experiences have provided Scientists from NASA, the National the foundation to begin shaping the space Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- exploration capabilities needed to create tion and the National Center for At- a sustained presence on the moon and on mospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., to Mars,” said Scott Horowitz, associate NASA Illustration have developed a new tool, a math-based administrator for the Exploration Systems computer model, to better predict when mission directorate. “Our programs and The above illustration shows the Crew Exploration Vehicle heading out for a mission. The il- the ozone hole will recover. projects are evolving as we develop the lustration below shows how CEV elements stack up. The Antarctic ozone hole is a massive requirements to execute the vision for loss of ozone high in the stratosphere space exploration. At the same time we tion supporting the CEV project, provid- that occurs each spring in the Southern are aligning the work that needs to be ing oversight and independent analysis of Hemisphere. The hole is caused by chlo- accomplished with the capabilities of our the CEV prime contractor’s development rine and bromine gases in the stratosphere NASA centers.” of the system. Langley leads the Com- that destroy ozone. These gases come from In addition to primary work assign- mand Module Landing System Advanced manmade chemicals such as chlorofluo- ments each center will support moon and Development project for the CEV and rocarbons, or CFCs. Mars surface systems conceptual designs. provides vehicle integration and CEV test The ozone layer blocks 90-99 percent Centers also will support additional Con- article module development for the CLV of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation from stellation program and project activities. Advanced Development flight test-0. making contact with Earth. That harmful In the briefing, center assignments were Marshall Space Flight Center, Hunts- radiation can cause skin cancer, genetic described as follows: ville, Ala., hosts the Constellation launch damage, and eye damage, and harm ma- Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, vehicle projects. The projects are responsi- rine life. NASA Illustration Calif., leads the crew exploration vehicle ble for management of all CLV and cargo For the first time, a model combines Thermal Protection System Advanced project to plan systems engineering pro- launch vehicle-related activities. Marshall estimates of future Antarctic chlorine and Development project. Ames is develop- cesses related to operations development provides the CLV first stage design, and bromine levels based on current amounts ing information systems to support the and preparation. JPL provides co-leader- is responsible for launch vehicle demon- as captured from NASA satellite observa- Constellation program’s Safety, Reliability ship for the Constellation program office stration testing including the Advanced tions, NOAA ground-level observations and Quality Assurance office. Systems Engineering and Integration Development flight test-0. and NCAR airplane-based observations, Dryden leads CEV Abort Flight Test Software and Avionics team. Stennis Space Center, Miss., manages with likely future emissions, the time integration and operations, including Johnson Space Center, Houston, hosts and integrates rocket propulsion testing it takes for the transport of those emis- abort test booster procurement and inte- the Constellation program, the CEV for the CLV project. Stennis staff leads sions into the Antarctic stratosphere and gration with the flight test article. project and the Mission Operations proj- sea-level development, certification and assessments of future weather patterns Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, ect. Constellation program staff manages acceptance testing for the upper-stage en- over Antarctica. leads the CEV Service Module and and integrates the program and all related gine; sea-level development testing for the The model accurately reproduces the Spacecraft Adapter integration, providing projects. The CEV project office manages upper-stage main propulsion test article; ozone hole area in the Antarctic strato- oversight and independent analysis of the and integrates all CEV elements, includ- and sea-level acceptance testing for the sphere over the past 27 years. Using the prime contractor’s development of these ing prime contractor work. The Mission flight upper-stage assembly. model, the researchers predict that the segments. Operations project office manages and While these decisions will influence ozone hole will recover in 2068, not in Glenn also has lead responsibility for integrates all activities related to mission budget and personnel allocations at the 2050 as currently believed. design and development of several crew operations. centers, detailed estimates of these will launch vehicle upper stage systems. Kennedy Space Center, Fla., hosts the not be available until after prime contrac- Goddard Space Flight Center, Green- Ground Operations project. All activi- tors are formally selected for the program’s Dominguez belt, Md., provides co-leadership of the ties related to ground operations for the major projects, such as the crew explora- Constellation program’s System Engineer- launch and landing sites, including tion vehicle, crew launch vehicle and nominated ing and Integration Navigation team and ground processing, launch and recovery cargo launch vehicle. Information about Software and Avionics team. systems will be managed by Ground the Constellation program and a detailed to new post Operations program staff. listing of the work assignments at each the The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasa- Olga M. Dominguez is the new as- Langley Research Center, Hampton, center are available at http://www.nasa. dena, Calif., leads a multi-center activity sistant administrator for the Office of Va., leads Launch Abort System integra- gov/constellation. in support of the Mission Operations Infrastructure and Administration. In her new position, Dominguez leads the agency infrastructure and facil- Aero Gallery ity programs and policies in support of NASA’s long-range needs. In addition, is now open she manages the Headquarters operations From the cockpit, Dryden Cen- and institutional activities that support ter Director Kevin Petersen offers Headquarters as an institution. She also a handshake and a go-for-flight to leads the NASA Ombudsman program. Public Affairs Director Fred John- Dominguez has been with NASA for sen at the newly opened Aerospace nearly 16 years. In that time, she has had Exploration Gallery. The facility, a many roles. Most recently, she served as project of the NASA Aero Insitute deputy assistant administrator for the and the Dryden Public Affairs of- Office of Infrastructure and Administra- fice, is located at Palmdale Boule- tion. vard and Sierra Highway. It features Prior to this position, she was direc- historical artifacts as well as displays tor of the Environmental Management highlighting current work at the Division, responsible for leading agency center, and is now open to the pub- environmental policy and programs. She lic Tuesday throughThursday from 9 joined NASA Headquarters in 1990 and a.m. to 3 p.m. became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 1998. ED06 0065-50 NASA photo by Tom Tschida

2 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News Explaining Dryden’s view Petersen treks up the Hill with lawmakers, astronauts

By Beth Hagenauer Dryden Public Affairs Dryden Center Director Kevin Pe- tersen participated in “NASA Days on ED06 0102-41 NASA photo by Tony Landis Capitol Hill” in Washington, D.C., May 23 and 24. Together with officials from other NASA centers and a cadre of Artist McCall astronauts, Petersen visited members of the U.S. Congress to offer perspective on visits Dryden the agency’s space exploration goals. During the two-day visit, Petersen trav- About 45 artists participating in the eled among the Longworth, Cannon and 20th annual symposium of the Ameri- Rayburn House office buildings to meet can Society of Aviation Artists June with eight members of the California 19-24 were treated to a colloquium pre- congressional delegation and five congres- sentation at Dryden June 20 by famed sional staff members. aviation muralist Robert McCall. In his conversations with legislators, McCall outlined his career as an aero- Petersen emphasized how the agency’s space artist then discussed his approach goals encompass every NASA field cen- to developing three of his original mu- ter and affirm the nation’s commitment rals now on display at the center – The to human space exploration. He also Spirit of Flight Research, completed in explained Dryden’s contribution to the Submitted photo 1977; Accepting the Challenge of Flight, endeavor. The NASA Explorer School During a recent trip to Capitol Hill, Center Director Kevin Petersen spoke with U.S. Rep. completed in 1996, with which McCall program was outlined to congressmen Bill Thomas, right, about NASA’s goals for space exploration. Astronaut Alan Poindexter, left, is pictured above; and Celebrating One and women who were unfamiliar with accompanied Petersen to the Hill. Hundred Years of Powered Flight 1903- the initiative but have NES programs 2003, completed in 2003. located in their districts. (R-25th dist.), Ken Calvert (R-44th Accompanying Petersen was astronaut McCall joined the Army Air Corps of U.S. representatives from California dist.), Maxine Waters (D-35th dist.), Alan Poindexter, who is scheduled to fly in the 1940s with the intention of becom- with whom Petersen met included Bill John Campbell (R-48th dist.), Mike STS-120; Cam Martin, from Dryden’s Ex- ing a pilot, though he eventually became Thomas (R-22nd dist.), Devin Nunes Honda (D-15th dist.) and Bob Filner ternal Affairs office; and Stephan McGinley a bombardier. From the start, he said he (R-21st dist.), Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (D-51st dist.). of the NASA Legislative Affairs office. was drawn to painting military gear, but “above all, I just loved airplanes.” PM Challenge Ready for anything seeks speakers Plans for the fourth annual NASA Drill focuses on refining processes Project Management Challenge are under way and organizers are seeking speakers By Jay Levine to talk about their project management X-Press Editor experiences. ASA 7’s left engine starts The conference will be held Feb. slowly. A puff of smoke mate- 6-7 at the Moody Gardens Hotel and rializes, and a finger of flame Convention Center in Galveston, Texas. shoots out. The aircraft fire The event is near Johnson Space Cen- Nsuppression system intended to activate in ter, Houston, and is sponsored by the such a situation fails and maintenance and NASA Academy of Program/Project and cockpit crews are concerned because the Engineering Leadership, or APPEL. See fire is nearing the aircraft’s fuel tank. http://pmchallenge.gsfc.nasa.gov/ for It happens so fast that three people are more details. burned and another five suffer smoke The contact person for speakers inter- inhalation. Help is on the way, but four ested in participating is Niloo Naderi at minutes have passed and Dryden mainte- 301-286-5694. She also can be reached nance and security people are scrambling by email at Niloofar.Naderi.1@gsfc. with radios and first aid kits to do what nasa.gov they can. It becomes obvious that all elev- en people – all passengers and crew – will need to be transported to local hospitals. Sound somewhat unlikely? It may be, but what-ifs and what-do-we-do thens played out in a May 24 “tabletop” exercise aimed at identifying which of the center’s established safety procedures would work in such a scenario and which needed improvement. About a dozen people rep- resenting different Dryden departments took part in the exercise. “It gave participants awareness of responsibilities,” said Jack Trapp, Dryden’s Photo courtesy Karla Graves Acting Aviation Ground Safety Manager and one of the facilitators of the activity. Watch out for “Going through the procedures, we were able to find out where the shortcomings are and where we can add clarity to our a mean Green responses.” This Mojave Green rattlesnake slith- The exercise addressed obvious is- ered in front of the Arcata Program Con- sues such as containing and cleaning up trol Office, Building 4846, on June 19. hazardous materials, establishing safe pa- Air Force Security Police safely removed rameters and alerting Dryden and NASA and relocated the snake. officials to such details as how family The Mojave Green rattlesnake is ven- ED06 0081-1 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida members are to be notified and how em- omous and can be very aggressive when ployees will be allowed access to vehicles About a dozen Dryden employees from departments throughout the center attended a May disturbed. Be aware that there could left after they were injured and taken to 24 “tabletop” exercise aimed at assessing disaster preparedness. The drill was designed to refine be more snakes and be cautious when procedures and identify areas that could use improvement – before disasters strike. walking around Dryden and adjacent desert areas. See Drill, page 16

NASA Dryden X-Press 3 News July 2006 Science ... from page 1 seeing not only where hot spots are but also the best ways to reach them. Altair research ﬂights could include missions to Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona or “wherever the ﬁre is,” Navarro said. Instrumentation on the Altair also includes a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration atmospheric gas-sampling tool.

Providing the tools Altair is one of several Dryden research tools available to aid the Earth science community, said Bob Curry, acting director of Dryden’s Science mission directorate, of which Dryden’s work for the Earth Science Capability Demonstration is a part. Key aircraft assets such as the ER-2 and Altair as well as a Predator-class uninhabited air system, or UAS, that Dryden expects to acquire will be available for customer needs on airborne projects. The Suborbital Office at NASA Headquarters provides Earth science researchers with access to Dryden’s resources in areas such as atmospheric science, geology and land use for work ED06 0089-5 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida involving such global problems as climate change and international pollution, The ER-2 is one of many assets available through the Dryden Science mission directorate for customers with research needs in the upper atmo- Curry said. In addition to preparing new sphere. Dryden also is working to add new capabilities to its aircraft to accommodate new customers. UAS platforms for science missions, he said Dryden is working to reacquaint the science community with the ER-2’s resolution means of allow it. They’re banking on our reputation. utility and reliability. He’d like to see the studying Earth’s ever- Our safety-review processes are very ER-2 busy year-round for science missions changing crust. important,” he said. “The UAS activities of again, as it was in the 1990s. Dryden and its partners will undoubtedly “The ER-2 is a highly unique airplane New data system help to shape how UAS operations become with complex, one-of-a-kind capabilities,” When Altair flies in routine in the national airspace.” Curry said. “Our contribution is to be able August it will feature The FAA is currently undergoing to provide airborne flight services reliably Dryden innovations reorganization aimed in part at setting and to meet mission objectives within like the Research up airframe certification and flight budget and on schedule.” Environment for authorization procedures for UAS vehicles, Reliability in systems and research Vehicle-Embedded Cutler said. Large-scale civil operations platforms is critical for scientists Analysis on Linux of UAS are complicated and will require researching specific phenomena such as capability, or REVEAL, time and patience to be safely developed, weather and geologic events occurring at a programmable gateway he added. certain locations and times of the year, between onboard he said. instruments and Further assessment “We’ve been asked to pursue the wireless communication In the meantime, UAS capability use of unpiloted air vehicles to help paths to and from the assessment studies are ongoing to identify the Earth science community get their aircraft. the types of technologies required to instruments aloft in different kinds of In a nutshell, this fulfill requirements and whether those scenarios that just are not possible in new data system allows technologies are available or will need to piloted aircraft. Endurance – being able for high-tech, real-time be developed, Cutler continued. to fly for 24 hours or more – is just one capture and transfer The Suborbital Science office at NASA scenario that is unique to the unpiloted of information from Headquarters is Dryden’s key customer, aircraft,” said Frank Cutler, Dryden’s instruments onboard he said, and he anticipates a long and Earth Science Capability Demonstration the aircraft to users productive relationship that will evolve into project manager. or researchers on the exciting UAS science missions. Another is the very hazardous scenario ground. Information “We’re currently assessing the possibility in which it would not be worth the risk ED05 0234-13 NASA Photo by Carla Thomas from the aircraft then of UAS participation in the International to deploy piloted aircraft. A mission is c a n b e e n h a n c e d Polar Year activities that are due to start in planned for this hurricane season, for The Dryden-leased Altair flew a science mission last fall and will with overlays such as about a year,” he said. The proposed polar example, wherein a small UAS will be be a participant, along with Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, digital weather and mission would entail long-duration flights flown at low altitudes in a hurricane to Calif., in the Western States Fire Mission in August. It is expected terrain maps to give as well as the need to land on icy runways collect data never before available to that the General Atomics Aeronautical Systems aircraft will con- researchers broad and cope with extreme weather conditions weather modelers. tinue playing a role as a key uninhabited air system available for situational awareness of that constantly and quickly change. use by Dryden’s customers. the environment within “Can these systems operate in unforgiving Developing new capabilities which the instruments are operating. environments?” Cutler asked. In addition to research platforms and UAS platform. The new system could be “We’re working with the researchers to That’s part of the mission – determining currently available technology, Dryden especially useful, for example, to researchers help them get their instruments on the the best way to get it accomplished. is helping to develop new technology investigating seismic fault lines. The Jet appropriate aircraft platform,” Cutler Altair is seen as one of the center’s enhancements for unpiloted aircraft that Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is explained. “We offer to bring them onsite workhorse UAS aircraft for science could present new possibilities. at work on the instrument and related data to look at the aircraft and understand what missions. It successfully completed an Structural and navigational modifications analysis tools while Dryden is developing we’re doing with it. Once we think we have 18.4-hour NOAA project in November are underway on the NASA G III aircraft the precision navigation system, structurally a mission, we look to see what instruments 2005, a high-altitude, long-endurance series for carrying new synthetic aperture radar. modifying the aircraft and designing pods group together to allow researchers to share of missions that entailed collection of air This new system will be capable of being to carry the UAVSAR instrument. costs to make it more affordable.” samples at various altitudes, missions 800 flown repeatedly over any period of time Adding this new technology to piloted miles off the U.S. West Coast, enforcement through a predetermined 10-meter “tube” aircraft like the G III is an efficient means of Building relationships patrol, use of high-resolution digital in the airspace, allowing researchers to moving these technologies to UAS platforms, Dryden has a long history of working with cameras for mapping, monitoring coastline detect and analyze minute changes in the Cutler said. The UAVSAR ultimately could UAS aircraft, excellent relationships with other erosion and counting coastal sea mammal Earth’s crust, Cutler said. be transferred to a Predator-class aircraft. test ranges and a thorough understanding populations. This new capability, called the Repeat Developers of the system believe it can be of how to work with the Federal Aviation “Information that UAS aircraft can help Pass Interferometry (a part of the UAV refined even further to navigate the aircraft Administration, Cutler said. researchers gather will help to develop synthetic aperture radar, or UAVSAR) using the tool inside a one-meter tube, “The FAA trusts us to do the right thing. better models to predict what will happen – may eventually be incorporated into a providing researchers with an even higher- If it were not safe, our own agency wouldn’t next,” Cutler said.

4 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News

NASA photo by Tony Landis Items such as batteries, electronics, ﬂuores- cent light bulbs and lamps, appliances and aerosol cans are now considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of properly. Battery disposal rules change *Please note that all information provided in this article pertains to disposal of residential waste only. Dryden employees disposing of work-related hazardous or household waste must adhere to federal regulations and guide- lines, which are not addressed in this article. All Dryden hazardous and household waste must be turned over to any Dryden chemical crib facility or disposed of by calling 661-276-7403.

On Feb. 9 the California Environ- mental Protection Agency released a new waste rule that affects common household products, including batteries and other universal household waste. Universal household waste is classified ED06 0103-48 NASA Photo by Tony Landis as hazardous waste generated from a wide variety of sources, including such items as fluorescent lights, thermostats and small electronics. The new rule stipulates that these products must be separated from regu- lar trash and collected for safe disposal. Improper disposal of such items can lead Family Day to substantial environmental impact. Incorrect disposal of batteries, for example, may cause heavy metals to leach from solid-waste landfills, exposing the environment and water to lead or strong corrosive acids. Improperly released into the environment, batteries and other universal household waste products can lead to groundwater contamination from chemicals such as mercury, lead, acid, zinc, cadmium and other corrosive and flammable toxins. There are many ways to protect the environment from improper disposal of ED06 0103-31 NASA Photo by Tony Landis common household products, starting Four-year-old Noah Bomben, son of Dryden with prevention. Before purchasing a pilot Craig Bomben, is ready for action. battery or other universal waste product, be sure the purchase is a necessary one. uestions about what Mom and Whenever possible, opt for rechargeable Dad do at work were answered batteries. About three billion batteries are for 380 kids who attended sold in the U.S. each year, which averages QDryden’s Family Day events 32 per family or about 10 per person June 23. ED06 0103-17 NASA Photo by Tony Landis – many of them probably unnecessary. In addition to seeing their parents’ Above, a parent gets a Family Day photo to remember. Below, Joel Sitz sits in the NASA 747 The best way to properly dispose of workplace, the next generation of scientists cockpit with sons Ben, left, and Billy, right. Family Day attracted 380 visitors and helped household batteries, fluorescent lights, and engineers were introduced, or reintro- raise funds for Dryden’s 60th anniversary events with a bake sale and book sale. thermostats and other electronic devices is duced, to some of the wonders of NASA to take the items to a facility that accepts aeronautics. and recycles household waste. Web sites Several took the opportunity to try on that indicate where disposal and recycling flight suit life-support equipment. Later in facilities may be located include: the day they marveled as pilots wearing the same type of equipment flew by the back • L.A. County – http://www.earth911. ramp in a NASA F/A-18 and T-34. org Family Day participants got up close and • Kern County – http://www.co.kern. personal with the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier ca.us/wmd/index.html Aircraft. Family members climbed aboard, sat • California reference – http://www. in the pilot’s chair and roamed the vehicle’s calepa.ca.gov cavernous midsection and rear. The NASA 747 is used when a space The Cal EPA, the Department of Toxic shuttle lands at Dryden and must be trans- Substances Control and the California ported back to Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Integrated Waste Management Board list The ferry flight’s route from Dryden back to other universal household waste in the new Kennedy varies depending on the weather. waste disposal rule: lamps that contaim Beside the behemoth 747 was the As- mercury, thermometers and novelty items tronaut Transport Vehicle, used to move like shoes with lighted soles, greeting cards astronauts recovering from the effects of and maze games that contain mercury. space travel. After a shuttle flight, astronauts The list also includes electronic devices like walk across a plank and directly into the computer monitors, televisions, phones transporter vehicle from the orbiter when and video cassette recorders. Also included are aerosol cans and appliances such as See Family Day, page16 stoves, ovens, water heaters and furnaces. ED06 0103-66 NASA Photo by Carla Thomas

NASA Dryden X-Press 5 July 2006 News

ED04 0361-23 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida

The Active Aeroelastic Wing team demonstrated for the first time the use of wing warping for aerodynamic roll control with modern aircraft, while at the same time controlling structural loads. Dryden’s NASA Awards embers of the Dryden family were honored June 6 during a ceremony held at the center, receiving Mplaques and medals from NASA Associate Administrator Rex Geveden and Center Director Kevin Petersen. Three Exceptional Achievement medals were presented to Joseph D’Agostino, Paul J. Aristo and Stephen Corda for space shuttle return-to-flight work. The citations read: • D’Agostino – For exceptional achievement in preparing Dryden’s Shuttle facilities to support Return to Flight. Joseph D’Agostino Paul J. Aristo Stephen Corda Michael P. Thomson • Aristo – For outstanding leadership and technical support of research projects such as the Lifting Insulation For Trajec- tory (LIFT) project furthering NASA’s contributions to aeronautics and space. • Corda – For exceptional leadership and management of the F-15B LIFT flight research team, in support of the shuttle Return-to-Flight program. Two additional Exceptional Achieve- ment medals were awarded to Michael P. Thomson and Steven L. Wildes. The citations read: • Thomson – For exceptional performance as Dryden’s lead in successfully Steven L. Wildes Albion H. Bowers Russell H. Davis Patricia M. Kinn See Awards, page 7

Laura A. Peters John Carter Susan B. Miller Jerry S. Reedy Michael Monahan

6 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News

ED06 0091-1 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida

Dryden’s Shuttle Support Group earned a NASA Group Achievement Award for sustained excellence during the two-and-one-half-year hiatus in shuttle flights, culminating in an extremely successful recovery during Discovery’s return-to-flight mission. Awards ... from page 6 transitioning the DC-8 Airborne Science platform aircraft to the Wallops Flight Fa- cility and the University of North Dakota. • Wildes – For developing a work order metrics system that has dramati- cally improved the quality of engineering and manufacturing support provided to projects. During the ceremony, Albion H. Bow- ers, Russell H. Davis, Patricia M. Kinn and Laura E. Peters were honored with Exceptional Service medals. The citations read: • Bowers – For sustained demonstration of technical and leadership excellence in the conduct of nationally significant flight research projects. • Davis – For exceptional service as Dryden’s procurement officer in developing innovative solutions to meet challenging Center issues. • Kinn – For sustained and innovative performance in developing and main- EC05 0056-2 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida taining flight scheduling procedures and The F-15B Lifting Insulation Foam Trajectory Team earned a NASA Group Achievement Award for providing timely flight research test See Awards, page 12 information on thermal protection foam separation to the shuttle return-to-flight team.

EC05 0135-1 NASA Photo by Tony Landis Recognition was bestowed on the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems, or J-UCAS X-45 Team for achieving historic milestones, advancing the technology of autonomous air vehicles and demonstrating single- and multi-vehicle autonomous operations.

NASA Dryden X-Press 7 Focus July 2006

By Jay Levine X-Press Editor ryden’s Flight Loads Laboratory is one of the only government facilities available for researching mechanical and thermal loads simultaneous- ly on everything from large structures or systems Dup to full-sized aircraft. “There are only a few places in the U.S. that can do this type of large-scale testing within the government and we’re the only one on the West Coast,” said Larry Hudson, loads lab thermal structures test engineer. This unique capability may soon be put to use testing the latest components and subsystems for hypersonic and space- faring vehicles, Hudson said. One application for the loads lab research can be seen in recently completed work on the X-37 prototype, a reusable space vehicle being developed by the government. Once a NASA project (managed at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.), the Dryden lab completed thermal and mechanical testing on three key X-37 components when the program transitioned to management by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Also researched at Dryden was a fourth test article considered critical to future space vehicles with a design similar to that of the X-37. Key partners in the testing effort included The Boeing Company, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Science Applications International Corp., San Diego; Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies, Fort Worth, Texas; General Electric Energy, Newark, Del.; Materials Research and Design, Wayne, Pa., and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Research on the three X-37 components involved more than 30 tests during a two-year period from 2003 to 2005. Components were heated to more than 2,500 degrees Fahren- heit. The components tested included a carbon silicon carbide flaperon subcomponent, a carbon-carbon flaperon subcomponent and a carbon-carbon flaperon qualification unit. The flaperon accounts for two of the X-37’s five flight control surfaces. It is used for roll control and to adjust for drag during atmospheric flight and airspeed during approach and landing. The flaperons are located on the trailing edge of each wing. For the X-37 flaperon qualification unit, test objectives included verifying the structural model and finite element analysis, or FEA, used to design the carbon-carbon flaperon; verifying the thermal analysis model used to predict temperature distributions and time histories in the flight environment; demonstrating the manufacturability of the flaperon design and evaluating the structural performance of design elements under representative flight, thermal and static load conditions, and verifying the mechanical and thermal proper- ties of carbon-carbon materials used in the design analysis. The thermal and mechanical loading conditions applied to the components simulated what the parts would encounter in actual flight. The tests qualified the flaperon design and Top image manufacturing methods for flight, and information from the (EC05 0183-11 tests will be used in evaluating thermal and loading mod- by Tony Landis) els associated with creating parts for hypersonic and space is of the carbon- vehicles. carbon X-37 About 15 to 20 people, including customer staff members, flaperon quali- conducted the research. Loads lab staff designed, fabricated fication unit as and assembled unique equipment used to perform the tests. it cools from a So successful was the team that it was recognized at Dryden maximum test with a 2005 NASA Group Achievement Award. temperature of In addition to that work, Hudson said the loads lab also more than 2,500 tested a Next-Generation Launch Technology program item degrees Fahren- designed as a body flap envisioned for use in future, X-37- heit. like space-faring vehicles. Heating and mechanical loading of that test article were not part of baseline X-37 tests, but the applied thermal and mechanical loads were derived from X- 37-like re-entry trajectory information. “The Flight Loads Laboratory has the unique ability to perform large-scale, thermal structure testing ranging from cryogenic temperatures to temperatures up to the 3,000- At right, Dryden degrees-Fahrenheit range. We also have the ability to define instrumentation thermal and mechanical loading on structures. We can do our specialist Anthony testing in the air or in an inert atmosphere (artificially created “Nino” Piazza in- in the lab setting),” Hudson said. stalls temperature “We have unique skills in the area of high-temperature in- sensors on the car- strumentation – specifically, the application of high-tempera- bon-carbon X-37 ture fiber optic strain sensors and thermocouple temperature flaperon qualifica- measurements on advanced materials, such as carbon-carbon tion unit using a and carbon silicon-carbide.” thermal spraying Technology researched in the loads lab could be used for technique. NASA developing new capabilities for re-entry vehicles and hyper- photo courtesy of sonic atmospheric vehicles, Hudson said. High-temperature Larry Hudson. instrumentation on carbon-carbon and carbon silicon-carbide structures is a unique discipline that provides analysts and designers with valuable strain and temperature data, which aids them in validating analysis and models. Hudson sees the information gathered from X-37 research

See Hot Structures, page 16 4 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006

By Jay Levine X-Press Editor ryden’s Flight Loads Laboratory is one of the only government facilities available for researching mechanical and thermal loads simultaneous- At left, Dryden ly on everything from large structures or systems technicians prepare Dup to full-sized aircraft. the loads labora- “There are only a few places in the U.S. that can do this tory heating system type of large-scale testing within the government and we’re for thermal testing. the only one on the West Coast,” said Larry Hudson, loads lab thermal structures test engineer. This unique capability may soon be put to use testing the latest components and subsystems for hypersonic and space- faring vehicles, Hudson said. One application for the loads lab research can be seen in recently completed work on the X-37 prototype, a reusable space vehicle being developed by the government. Once a NASA project (managed at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.), the Dryden lab completed thermal and me- NASA Photo chanical testing on three key X-37 components when the program transitioned to management by the Defense Advanced At left, Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Also researched at the carbon Dryden was a fourth test article considered critical to future silicon-carbide space vehicles with a design similar to that of the X-37. X-37 flaperon Key partners in the testing effort included The Boeing subcomponent Company, Huntington Beach, Calif.; Science Applications glows as it is International Corp., San Diego; Carbon-Carbon Advanced heated during Technologies, Fort Worth, Texas; General Electric Energy, research at Newark, Del.; Materials Research and Design, Wayne, Pa., Dryden to test and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson its thermal and Air Force Base, Ohio. mechanical Research on the three X-37 components involved more durability. than 30 tests during a two-year period from 2003 to 2005. Components were heated to more than 2,500 degrees Fahren- Below are Craig heit. The components tested included a carbon silicon carbide Stephens, left, and flaperon subcomponent, a carbon-carbon flaperon subcompo- Larry Hudson nent and a carbon-carbon flaperon qualification unit. with a flaperon The flaperon accounts for two of the X-37’s five flight similar to the one control surfaces. It is used for roll control and to adjust for designed for the drag during atmospheric flight and airspeed during approach X-37. Bottom, and landing. The flaperons are located on the trailing edge of the X-37 is pic- each wing. tured. For the X-37 flaperon qualification unit, test objectives included verifying the structural model and finite element analysis, or FEA, used to design the carbon-carbon flaperon; EC04 0151-09 NASA Photo by Tony Landis verifying the thermal analysis model used to predict temperature distributions and time histories in the flight environment; demonstrating the manufacturability of the flaperon design and evaluating the structural performance of design elements under representative flight, thermal and static load Key Dryden Aerostructure Branch Capabilities conditions, and verifying the mechanical and thermal proper- Structural, thermal and dynamic analysis ties of carbon-carbon materials used in the design analysis. Finite-element analysis The thermal and mechanical loading conditions applied to Aerodynamic loads analysis the components simulated what the parts would encounter Flutter analysis in actual flight. The tests qualified the flaperon design and Aeroservoelastic analysis Aeroheating/heat transfer analysis manufacturing methods for flight, and information from the tests will be used in evaluating thermal and loading mod- Structural, thermal and dynamic ground-test techniques els associated with creating parts for hypersonic and space Structural loads calibration and equation derivation vehicles. Thermal/structural testing About 15 to 20 people, including customer staff members, Proof loads testing conducted the research. Loads lab staff designed, fabricated Ground vibration and structural mode interaction testing and assembled unique equipment used to perform the tests. Advanced structural instrumentation So successful was the team that it was recognized at Dryden Strain, temperature, heat flux, deflection with a 2005 NASA Group Achievement Award. Fiber-optic strain and temperature sensors In addition to that work, Hudson said the loads lab also Flight test techniques for analysis validation and safety- tested a Next-Generation Launch Technology program item of-flight support designed as a body flap envisioned for use in future, X-37- Flight test planning like space-faring vehicles. Heating and mechanical loading of Structural and thermal flight data analysis that test article were not part of baseline X-37 tests, but the applied thermal and mechanical loads were derived from X- 37-like re-entry trajectory information. “The Flight Loads Laboratory has the unique ability to perform large-scale, thermal structure testing ranging from EC05 0120-1 NASA Photo by Tony Landis cryogenic temperatures to temperatures up to the 3,000- degrees-Fahrenheit range. We also have the ability to define thermal and mechanical loading on structures. We can do our testing in the air or in an inert atmosphere (artificially created in the lab setting),” Hudson said. “We have unique skills in the area of high-temperature instrumentation – specifically, the application of high-temperature fiber optic strain sensors and thermocouple temperature measurements on advanced materials, such as carbon-carbon and carbon silicon-carbide.” Technology researched in the loads lab could be used for developing new capabilities for re-entry vehicles and hypersonic atmospheric vehicles, Hudson said. High-temperature instrumentation on carbon-carbon and carbon silicon-carbide structures is a unique discipline that provides analysts and designers with valuable strain and temperature data, which aids them in validating analysis and models. Hudson sees the information gathered from X-37 research

See Hot Structures, page 16 NASA Drs 9 Research Roundup July 2006

ED05 0138-117 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Tony Frackowiak, standing, left, and Tyler Beiter set up the mothership and its underbelly passenger, the Sandia Dart research vehicle while Jose Ruiz, left, and Victor Linn make ﬁnal preparations in the ground cockpit, to which control of the aircraft will shift during its climb to mission altitude.

By Jay Levine Dryden researchers integrated the X-Press Editor Sandia-designed drop mechanism on the rdinarily, Dryden’s exper- utility aircraft’s underside and were tasked tise is called upon to help with devising a method of air launch- engineers avoid burying a ing the Darts accurately from a specified flight research vehicle in the position as well as ensuring that they fell Odesert floor. But Sandia National Labo- to the ground in a place from which they ratories researchers in New Mexico came could then be retrieved. Among the chal- to Dryden to tap the center’s expertise in lenges was getting the vehicle to embed at order to do precisely that: “plant” their or near the ground surface in a variety of dart-like flight research vehicle. soils, said Steve Jacobson, Dryden’s chief Dryden technicians integrated the San- engineer for the Dart project. dia Darts onto the center’s utility vehicle Dart The drop from 3,000 feet required the aircraft and after several modifications, air resolution of another challenge – a projec- launched the Darts from about 3,000 feet tile as small as the Dart is difficult to see in an attempt to characterize the Darts’ Flight research at 3,000 feet above ground level, or about aerodynamics. The goal of the Sandia 5,270 feet above sea level. In the past, research project was to demonstrate the aircraft released from the center’s utility aerodynamic stability and flight perfor- vehicle were launched at lower altitudes. mance of the Dart vehicle and embed it in hits the mark the ground. See Dart, page 14

EC05 0138-10 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida EC05 0138-106 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Mark Howard takes a measurement of how deeply the Dart research vehicle planted itself fol- The mothership takes to the sky with a Sandia Dart research vehicle secured beneath its fuselage. lowing an air launch from the mothership. Air launch of the small Darts was successful.

10 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News HiWAND Dryden researchers add network capabilities to telemetry systems By Beth Hagenauer Dryden Public Affairs Dryden researchers have demonstrated in flight a network-enhanced telemetry system that enables connectivity between air and ground, including airborne Internet access. This capability will allow scientists and others to downlink scientific data and uplink critical information to airborne sensors more efficiently than previously possible. In the Hi-rate Wireless Airborne Network Demonstration, existing computer hardware and off-the-shelf components were used to build a system establishing two-way high-speed communication between aircraft and ground personnel in near-real time. “The capabilities demonstrated on this project can benefit more than Earth science,” said project manager Mark Pestana, who also served as project pilot. “The flight test community or any user who needs bandwidth-intensive interactive data communication Submitted photo between an aircraft and the ground will realize huge benefits.” Hi-rate Wireless Airborne Network Demonstration, or HiWAND team members include, from In addition to sending and receiving e-mails and accessing the World Wide Web for left, crew chiefs Andres Hernandez and Mario Soto, project manager and project pilot Mark aviation weather information, the system transmitted data in both directions at rates up Pestana, operations engineers Ryan Lefkofsky and Matt Graham, instrumentation engineer to 10 megabits per second between the airborne computer and a ground-based station. Howard Ng, operations engineer Ron Wilcox, principal investigator Russ Franz, instrumentation The feasibility study was sponsored by Dryden’s Earth Science Capability Demonstration engineers Richard Hang and Shedrick Bessent and range systems engineer Darryl Burkes. project, a jointly funded activity involving NASA’s Science and Aeronautical Research mission directorates. elsewhere, with virtually immediate access to data for interpretation and analysis. “Suborbital Earth science activities of the future demand better capabilities and greater “This would be especially important in weather studies where time-critical prediction capacity to do productive work on all platform types,” said Larry Freudinger, chief engineer of storm movement is essential,” Pestana added. for the over-the-horizon networks project. “This experiment demonstrated our ability to Researchers anticipate conducting further flights that would demonstrate air-to-air construct a network link from existing broadcast telemetry components, thus adapting a and over-the-horizon relay capabilities, extending the useful reach of this network link. half-century of investment in test-range infrastructure for new uses.” The long-term goal, according to Freudinger, is to develop and implement a dependable Dryden’s Beech 200 King Air served as the testbed aircraft for the study, traveling more network-enhanced communication architecture that maximizes the ability of any instru- than 160 miles north of Dryden to conduct the line-of-sight communications experiment. ment on any platform to communicate with any other entity anywhere, using whatever A single rack was mounted in the passenger compartment to house the equipment, in- wireless data links that platform might have available. cluding a Global Positioning System and FM receivers, a tiny data router and a telemetry “The Hi-rate Wireless Airborne Network Demonstration concept is another step in transmitter. The experimenter’s laptop computer served as the airborne user interface, that direction,” he said. transmitting and receiving information via L-Band and S-Band telemetry links. Principal investigator Russ Franz noted, “I consider this successful demonstration as Pestana said this newly developed high-speed connectivity has applications in unmanned enabling a paradigm shift in the way flight test projects are designed and conducted. Re- aircraft systems as well as in piloted aircraft. Compared with satellite-based solutions, he searchers will soon have seamless access to and control over their experiment in ways that said, scientists will be able to receive more data from experiments at lower cost and reply can only be realized through a high-speed airborne network extension.” with instructions to instrumentation to maximize efficiency. Time lags in decision-mak- In addition to Pestana and Freudinger, HiWAND team members include Andres Her- ing due to waiting for post-flight downloads would eventually be eliminated. Leveraging nandez, Mario Soto, Ryan Lefkofsky, Matt Graham, Howard Ng, Ron Wilcox, Russ Franz, global Internet connectivity, researchers can be located at their respective institutions or Richard Hang, Shedrick Bessent, Darryl Burkes, Russ James, Tim Miller and Frank Cutler. Microgravity experiment is fun for Earth-bound Cole students By Beth Hagenauer Curry visited the school last spring to Dryden Public Affairs explain the experiment, which was flown The students were making bets while the bolted to the floor of the C-9. Curry teachers were saying it wouldn’t happen. demonstrated how seven small containers The debate centered on which of two Cole made from PVC pipe the size of 35mm film Middle School teachers would become canisters were placed individually on a hot airsick while participating in a flight experi- plate during short periods of microgravity. ment onboard NASA’s C-9, or “Weightless Several of the containers were filled with a Wonder.” liquid such as soda, another with air and Margo Deal and Dorothy Smith are math one was a small copper cylinder. Three and science teachers at Cole, a NASA Ex- temperature sensors inserted at the top, plorer School in Lancaster. With the help middle and bottom of the containers fed of their science classes, the two proposed a temperature readings to a laptop computer project with the objective of determining attached to the equipment rack containing whether the rate of heat transfer through a the experiment’s instrumentation. variety of solid and liquid materials would Deal’s sixth-grade students worked in change in microgravity as compared with groups to replicate the study in their class- how it reacts in Earth’s gravity. room gravity environment. The groups After a delay due to Hurricane Katrina, chose one of the liquids, or air, and filled the flights took place in mid-February their small container. It was placed on a at Johnson Space Center, Houston. Ac- hot plate and a baseline temperature was companying Smith on the Feb. 16 flight established, followed by measuring the was Bob Curry, aerospace engineer and Submitted photo degrees of change at 15-second intervals acting director of Dryden’s Science mission Bob Curry, aerospace engineer and acting director of Dryden’s Science mission directorate, shows for four minutes. Their homework as- directorate. students some of the readings of a microgravity experiment that their teachers tested on NASA’s signment was to write a hypothesis for the Curry volunteered to be mentor for the C-9 “Weightless Wonder.” Students pictured, from left, are Maria Lopez, Niki Erickson, Rachel experiment. When the final results of the project. He helped with hardware support Thomson and Katie Thomson. The experiment tested whether the heat transfer through a variety microgravity sampling are complete, the to bring the experiment to fruition and of solid and liquid materials would change in microgravity. students will make comparisons to their coordinated with the necessary Dryden classroom samples. laboratories to ensure the experiment met School competitors. Following each flight, from around the U.S. in sharing the unique Sixth-grader Katie Thomson said that flight safety standards. the teachers communicated with their experience outside the bounds of gravity Deal’s flight on the C-9 “helped students Dryden Explorer School coordinator classes through video teleconferencing and aboard the modified C-9. The aircraft, fully understand the chapter,” referring to Linda Tomczuk flew with Deal on Feb. 17. e-mail. similar to a DC-9 airliner, produces 25 sec- the science chapter that met state standards Tomczuk was instrumental in submitting Deal called her ride, “Awesome – the most onds of weightlessness by flying in a roller on teaching heat convection. Thomson felt the experiment proposal, which had been incredible ride of my life.” coaster-like path, or parabola, climbing and selected from a field of NASA Explorer These four joined a group of teachers diving steeply. See Experiment, page 16

NASA Dryden X-Press 11 News July 2006

ED05 0201-17 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida

The Pathfinder-Plus Flight Project Team earned a NASA Group Achievement Award in recognition of the Pathfinder-Plus investigative flights to determine aeroelastic response characteristics to validate complex modeling and analytical tools. Awards ... from page 7 executing daily flight scheduling coor- dination for flight research activities at Dryden. • Peters – For sustained demonstration of technical and leadership excellence in the conduct of nationally significant flight research projects. Also at the event, two Outstanding Leadership medals were awarded to John Carter and Susan B. Miller, and Jerry S. Reedy and Michael Monahan were honored with Exceptional Public Service medals. The citations read: • Carter – For outstanding leadership as the project manager on the Intelligent Flight Control project and as the director over flight research and science projects at Dryden. • Miller – For outstanding leadership of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center’s academic initiatives, investments and programs. • Reedy – For a lifetime of innovative EC05 0149-1 NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls technical achievements on generations of NASA flight vehicles, from the X-1E and The ER-2 Airborne Science Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes Team was recognized for conducting a highly successful deployment to Costa X-15 to the space shuttle orbiter. Rica to gather data on the buildup and behavior of tropical storm systems. Above, the ER-2 departs San Jose, Costa Rica, on one of its missions • Monahan – For consistent success in to monitor tropical storms and the formation of hurricanes. keeping Dryden’s mission-critical facilities fully operational and providing innovative, motivational and cost-effective leadership for every project and modification. In addition to the awards for individuals, seven group awards were presented. • The Active Aeroelastic Wing team demonstrated for the first time the use of wing warping for aerodynamic roll control with modern aircraft, while at the same time controlling structural loads. John F. Carter is the team leader and team members include:

NASA Michael Allen Dick Ewers Christina Anchondo Russ Franz Ivan Anchondo Phil Gonia John Baca Don Hermann Marty Brenner Joe Hernandez Alan Brown Kathleen Howell Randy Button Mike Kehoe Bob Clark Linda Kelly Steve Cumming Kevin Knudtson Ryan Dibley Andrew Lizotte EC06 0091-2 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida Corey Diebler Bill Lokos Jessica Lux-Baumann Carrie Rhoades The NASA Dryden Public Aﬀairs, Commercialization and Public Outreach oﬃce was recognized for outstanding support of three events in See Awards, page 13 August 2005: the landing of Discovery, its return to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and the X-15 astronaut wings program.

12 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News Awards ... from page 12

Adam Matuszeski Stephanie Rudy Robert Garcia Kimberly Vaughn Arcata Associates STG International Jim Mills Keith Schweikhard Brian Hookland Christine Visco Gregg Bergmann Tom Tschida Kathleen Kirk Tim Moes John Stripe Ryan Lefkofsky Donald Whiteman Brandy Rennie Kristy Barnett Claire Sleboda Leslie Molzahn Pat Stoliker Roger Lynn Donald Whitfield Kathie Benn Kathleen Walter Larry Myers John Theisen Lesa Marston Mae Yook Wong AS&M Jennifer Decker Gayle Patterson Daryl Townsend Martel Martinez Ken Cross Casey Donohue Vicki Johnson Marlin Pickett David Voracek USA Dana Purifoy Don Warren AS&M Scientific & Commercial Thang Quach Don Whiteman Ken Cross Systems Corp. Phil Burkhardt Ron Kariger Fred Reaux Mae Yook Wong Debbie Ackeret Diane Cox Chris Leigh Matt Reaves GRD Inc. Joe Dodson Mike Mercer Candace Mertes Infinity Technology Inc. Aerotherm Tri Truong Dallas Quantz Shalane McGee Spiral Technology Inc. AS&M Keith Krake Ray Morgan Aircraft In addition to receiving NASA Michael Arebalo Joe Gera Ray Morgan awards, Dryden employees were rec- Denis Bessette Bill Hunter • Recognition was bestowed on the ognized for 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 50 Ronnie Boghosian Sim Taylor Joint Unmanned Combat Air Sys- • The Shuttle Support Group earned years of service. April Doss tems X-45 Team for achieving historic a NASA Group Achievement Award for milestones, advancing the technology of sustained excellence during the two-and- 20 Years CSC autonomous air vehicles and demonstrat- one-half-year hiatus in shuttle flights, Jeffrey Ervin Bauer Linda Soden ing single- and multi-vehicle autono- culminating in an extremely successful Terrance L. Blankenship mous operations. recovery during Discovery’s return-to- Georgina R. Branco Dyncorp Gary S. Martin was the team lead and flight mission. John F. Carter Jori Cheney members of the team include: The team is led by Joseph D’Agostino Eileen V. Detka GRD Inc. and includes: Bradley C. Flick Lynn Faith Janet Gilmann NASA NASA Thomas J. Grindle Gary Cosentino Patricia Kinn Gabriel Baca Martel Martinez Michael S. Kapitzke Infinity Technology Inc. Loc Bui David McAllister Tom Barlow David McAllister Deborah M. Koehler Shalane McGee Richard G. Ewers Charles McKee Gary Beard William Robinson Dennis V. Morehouse Gordon Fullerton Bill McMullen Gregg Bendrick Daryl Townsend Jill Marie Neville Spiral Technology Inc. Freddie L. Graham Jim Smolka Mike Gorn Kimberly Vaughn Paul Reukauf Mike Earls Rick Stauf Ross Hathaway Michael Young Dave Jones Don Warren Kimberly Ennix Sandhu Anthony Kawano Ryan Lefkofsky Leslie Williams Ronald J. Sun • The ER-2 Airborne Science Tropi- Steve Lighthill Valerie J. Zellmer cal Cloud Systems and Processes Team • The NASA Dryden Public Affairs, was recognized for conducting a highly Commercialization and Public Out- Arcata Asssociates 25 Years successful deployment to Costa Rica to reach office was recognized for outstand- Richard Batchelor Tim Miller David Anthony gather data on the buildup and behavior ing support of three events in August Gregg Bergman Darren Mills John T. Bosworth of tropical storm systems. 2005: the landing of Discovery, its return Doug Boston Stacey Mills Mariaelena A. Chacon The team leader is Michael Kapitzke to Kennedy Space Center, Fla., and the Tilley Boston Jeff Nelms William H. Crews and the group includes: X-15 astronaut wings program. Tim Burt Dave Owens Jeffry W. Doughty Michael Gorn is the team leader. Team Fred Chatterson Steve Parcel George H. Grimshaw NASA members are: Linda E. Hoge Robert Curry Walter Klein Rick Dykstra James Pavlicek Sarah Eddy Tim Peters Frederick A. Johnsen Glenn Hamilton Jeanette Van Den NASA David A. Jones Chris Jennison Bosch Tim Elersich Pat Ray Alan Brown Steve Lighthill Gary V. Kellogg Gary Kellogg David Wright Tom Facer Brady Rennie Fred Johnsen Greg Poteat Anthony Fields Jim Ross Nick C. Kiriokos Kim Lewis Leslie Williams Arcata Associates Monica Garvin George RothmaIler Arthur Lavoie Jr.

Robert Joens Al Guajardo Hector Rodriguez Edwin W. Lewis Jr. AS&M Bob Guere Trace Short James E. Mills Ronnie Boghosian Terri Lyon AS&M Steve Hansen Carla Thomas Denise Orta-O’Neill Gray Creech Lisa Mattox Gloria Fields Sky Yarbrough Lynette Jones Justin Thomas Knut N. Roepel Bill Dana Peter Merlin Todd Kunkel Tom Tschida Richard D. Rowland Infinity Technology Inc. Christian Gelzer Sarah Merlin Tony Landis Mike Webb Peter T. Sidoti Rhonda Everest Beth Hagenauer Curtis Peebles Lori Losey Donna White Mark A. Skoog Mary Ann Harness Debbie Rodden Peter Merfa Tracey Willis Robert L. Tryon Lockheed Martin Jay Levine Mary Whelan Randy L. Wagner Dennis Avila Joseph Niquette AFFTC Kenneth D. Wilson Jim Barnes Dee Porter • The Pathfinder-Plus Flight Project Howard D. Winsett Jr. Brent Biebler David Proto Bill Gries Larry Ledford Team earned a NASA Group Achieve- John Bryant Ryan Ragsdale Mike King Dave Mann Gayle Coghan Jerry Roth ment Award in recognition of the Donna Kowaleski 30 Years Wayne Deats Jim Sokolik Pathfinder-Plus investigative flights to John J. Burken Gregg Don Carlos Ed Vadnais determine aeroelastic response character- AS&M Lawrence Camacho Larry Esperanza Larry Walter istics to validate complex modeling and Emmanuel Brooks Jonathan Spradlin Claude V. Chacon Mike Lakowski Robert York analytical tools. Richard Elliott Patrick Taylor Walter E. Chase Robert Navarro was the team lead for Dave Plummer James M. Hillman Scientific & Commercial this group that includes: William A. Lokos Systems Corp. CSC-747 Gary S. Martin Lea Ames NASA Jim Bedard Pete Siedl Gregory A. Poteat Gabriel Baca Art Lavoie John Goleno Todd Weston Lawrence J. Schilling United Paradyne Dan Banks Lori Losey Arvid Knutson Edmund K. Swan Ron Bailey Kevin Kraft Alan Brown Lesa Marston Richard Swanson Wendy Given Maria Caballero Terry Montgomery Kay & Associates Jack P. Trapp Tom Cronauer Dennis Morehouse Ron Johnson Joe Salasavage • The F-15B Lifting Insulation Foam Ken Cross Mauricio Rivas Pete Peterson 35 Years Trajectory Team earned its NASA Group John Del Frate Bart Rusnak John R. Denman Achievement Award for providing timely Jack Ehrenberger Ed Teets Lockheed Martin Richard R. Larson flight research test information on thermal Tony Ginn Kevin Walsh lrv Armstrong Vicki Nault Richard E. Maine protection foam separation to the shuttle Tony Kawano John Booksha Andy Olvera Kevin L. Petersen return-to-flight team. Betsy Booth Tom Percival Jimmie L. Shehane Ting Tseng was the team leader and AeroVironment A.J. Christiansen Jose Rivera team members included: Win Banning Greg Kindall Lance Dykhoff John Sammons 40 Years Carol Brennan Derek Lisoki Bill Geimke Juan Santos Russell H. Davis NASA Jim Daley Jason Mukherjee Shirley King Roy Torrez Glenn M. Sakamoto Paul Aristo Kendall Mauldin Kirk Flittie Doug Profitt Heidy Molina John Wood III Andrew Blua Matthew Reaves Casey Heninger Andrew Rutgers Ray Mowery 50 Years Craig Bomben Mark Smith Wyatt Sadler Dana Taylor William P. Albrecht Young Choi James Smolka Stuart Sechrist Jan Wurts Platinum International Art Cope Clinton St. John Mark Shipley Dean Lebret Stephen Corda Howard Trent

NASA Dryden X-Press 13 Research Roundup July 2006

Photo sequence assembled from mothership onboard camera footage by Tyler Beiter

Dart ... from page 10

“We had to put an autopilot on board to control our utility airplane because it flies so high that the pilot would have a difficult time controlling it,” Jacobson explained. Dryden Model Shop designer Tony Frackowiak said the integration of the equipment wasn’t the difficult part. The utility model was designed for missions like air launching the 28-pound, 30-inch-long Dart, and integrating the autopilot was not hard. Mounting the four cameras on the aircraft, however, was a different story. One video camera was added to each wingtip, one “chin” camera near the front of the aircraft to capture video of the Dart falling away and one at the tail. The camera work was for Dryden’s benefit and it added a new capability for future flight experiments. Additionally, Frackowiak said, completing simulations of how the hardware would work in the integrated systems and deriving the mathematical parameters, or gains, for the autopilot were challenging. Once the aircraft was ready and the 14 Dryden and five Sandia Laboratories personnel had completed preparations, it was time to fly. As is often the case with flight research, not everything went as planned. “We became involved because we know how to fly airplanes and we know how to drop things off of airplanes,” Jacobson said. “Sandia needed our help with the drop operations, providing the UAV and the infrastructure to support its flight. A primary objective of the test was (that) they wanted to be able to find it (after it came to rest on the ground). The very top of the Dart is the only thing that is supposed to be vis- ible. In fact, the very first time we dropped it, it wasn’t easy to find.” EC05 0138-33 NASA Photo by Tom Tschida But researchers had a good idea of where to look. At top, a series of frames captured with a video camera on the “chin” of the mothership shows “We knew where it was supposed to be but winds were pushing it to one side,” the Dart research vehicle as it is air launched. Above, Tyler Beiter, left, and Jim Murray go Jacobson said. “We had people stationed at various points and they walked line-of- over some details on the launch aircraft before it takes to the sky and drops the Dart research sight to where they thought it would be. We knew based on the wind that the drop vehicle. The flight series was a success, helping Sandia National Laboratories researchers prove article would be in an oval-shaped area. When (researchers) walked to the same area the Darts’ aerodynamics and validating new capabilities for the mothership. from their position, we were literally within five feet of it and didn’t know. It wasn’t obvious to us.” A feature of autopilot was auto drop, which enabled researchers to know the aircraft likely could carry even heavier payloads with the larger engine he installed for Dart’s path and direction and the point at which air launch would occur. Knowing the Sandia mission. the point of origin made finding the Dart easier after the first time, Jacobson said. The Sandia-designed release mechanism consisted of a mounted, four-jaw “clam- The autopilot was an off-the-shelf product, Cloud Cap Piccolo Plus hardware and shell” that opens to allow the object to air-launch on release. It was spring-loaded with guidance software. The autopilot used in the Sandia Darts project also was used in a pyrotechnic cutter to ensure the mechanism worked as intended. The Darts also can another Dryden project, Michael Allen’s autonomous soaring research. Allen cus- be released manually. tomized the autopilot so his hand-launched, motorized, model sailplane would catch Jacobson described the Darts’ release from the utility vehicle as “smooth as glass.” plumes of rising air called thermals in much the same way as birds do, validating a “We have added a unique capability to the utility vehicle that increases the air- thermal model developed at Dryden. launch altitude from 1,000 to 3,000 feet, and it could go higher with this autopilot. Dryden’s ability to operate in restricted airspace is another unique feature of test- The utility vehicle worked great and the releases were very smooth,” he said. ing at the center, he added. The autopilot is a new capability for the utility vehicle that is expected to have “Sandia wanted to show their drop article to their customer,” he said. “The day we applications for future research. showed it (to their customer representatives) we had two drops and the operation “It certainly can be used for a variety of research – projects similar to the Darts, or was flawless. Because we had invested so much time in understanding the systems any test item that needs to be flown,” Frackowiak said. and practiced with a ‘dummy Dart,’ we had plenty of operational experience before Dryden also is working to develop a UAV trainer or proficiency system, which was the customer showed up. The day the customer showed up, things went off without really (the late Dryden engineer) Dale Reed’s vision for the utility project, he added. a hitch.” Frackowiak said the Dart demonstration flight also illustrated Dryden’s capability Dryden’s utility aircraft has a 10-foot wingspan, is nine and one-half feet in length with small UAVs. and weighs about 30 pounds in standard configuration. Takeoff weight for the Dart “Subscale or smaller UAVs can accomplish many research objectives at a much project was 76 pounds, the most the aircraft has carried, but Frackowiak said the lower cost and a shorter time frame,” he said.

14 NASA Dryden X-Press July 2006 News Blended Wing Body ... from page 1 ment to maximize payload capacity. The tips of the airfoils end in winglets to reduce drag and thereby increase fuel efficiency. A big difference between the BWB and the traditional tube and wing aircraft is that instead of a conventional tail the BWB relies solely on multiple control surfaces on the wing for stability and control. Boeing officials see the BWB as a flexible, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft that could be used as a tanker, transport, command and control platform or weapons carrier. Designed to fly at altitudes around 7,500 feet, the X-48B’s average research flight is expected to last about an hour and will be focused on low-speed flight characteristics, said Gary Cosentino, Dryden’s Blended Wing Body project manager and chief engineer. The first in a series of about five de- velopmental research flights are scheduled to take place later this year or in early 2007. The aircraft, featuring a 21-foot wingspan, recently underwent a paint job at Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. of Cranfield, England, a subcontractor on the project, and arrived at Dryden with some assembly required. The wings and landing gear were detached for transport and additional work is needed to prepare the aircraft for research flights. The X-48B will fly with a gross takeoff weight of about 400 pounds. A second BWB aircraft recently underwent a series of tests in NASA wind tunnels at Langley Research Center, ED06 0107-17 NASA Photo by Tony Landis Hampton, Va. Boeing Phantom Works employee Rod Wyatt readies the X-48B blended wing body aircraft for a set of research flights to be flown later this year A successful set of five check-out flights or in 2007. Research with the X-48B could result in development of aircraft capable of carrying larger payloads with greater fuel efficiency. with the X-48B, Cosentino said, could her- ald the start of a 20- to 25-flight follow-on ics and installed them in the aircraft and the project that could last an additional six to ground station,” Dyer said on a recent visit nine months and further define the flight to Dryden. “We’re supplying a system, not characteristics of the aircraft as the flight just an airframe. We see it as we’re providing envelope is expanded. a facility to enable (Boeing) to upload their “It’s not so much maturing new tech- flight control laws into the vehicle for experi- nologies as it is working to understand the mentation. The job is not compartmentalized characteristics of the shape,” he explained. as it might seem; it’s an interactive job.” Dryden is one of several partners in Boe- The decision to conduct X-48B flight ing Phantom Works’ Blended Wing Body research at Dryden was an easy choice, concept research efforts, which also include Princen said. work by Cranfield, the Air Force Research “Dryden is a fantastic place to do flight Laboratory, Langley and the NASA Sub- testing. The facilities here are really tailored to sonic Fixed Wing Program, the latter a key doing the flight test job and there is really no component of the agency’s Aeronautics other facility like it in the country. The large Research mission directorate. open space where we can get airspace set aside Blended Wing Body aircraft concepts for our use, right over the lakebed, makes a have been studied since the early 1990s and great emergency landing opportunity if you testing of the shape’s aerodynamics has been have to do that. Because we’re dealing with an conducted in Langley wind tunnels. Flight experimental aircraft, you never know quite ED06 0107-22 NASA Photo by Tony Landis research is a welcome next step, said Fay what’s going to happen. Collier, NASA’s Langley-based Fixed Wing Andy Walster of Cranfield Aerospace takes the stick of the X-48B blended wing body aircraft “The staff here at Dryden have done many Project principle investigator. simulator. other X-plane projects in the past and we “We have computational and ground- gain from that experience,” he continued. based testing,” Collier said. “This flight “They’re telling us a lot of things that are test is going to fill in the flight part of the Testing of the X-48B, the going to help us avoid problems.” data for the low-speed flight regime. It Blended Wing Body air- The technical expertise of Dryden’s staff has will give us a really good set of data, from craft, recently concluded been tapped for specific tasks, Cosentino said. ground to flight, and in this particular in the Langley Research Dryden team members include Chris Regan, case we’re looking at low-speed flight data Center wind tunnels in flight controls; Richard Main, aerodynamics to go along with computation and wind Hampton, Va. The air- in parameter identification; and operations tunnel test data we’ve acquired. It’s the craft has since come to engineer Kimberly Vaughn. Also working on final straw in acquiring test data for that Dryden to serve as back- the project are Jessica Lux-Baumann from the configuration.” up to the primary X-48B Western Aeronautical Test Range and Tony In addition to looking at simulation research vehicle, which Kawano, Range Safety Systems Office. Frank models, stability and control limits of the should begin checkout Batteas and Marty Trout are providing support aircraft and control laws for the unique flights later this year or with piloted simulations. tailless vehicle, Collier said NASA also is in early 2007. Dryden’s experience with former X-planes interested in potential benefits in the areas is long. of noise reduction, lower emissions and Photo courtesy “The past is applicable,” said Cosentino, The Boeing Company aircraft performance. who was project manager for the unmanned “This particular configuration is useful in to Cranfield in a computer-aided design prove out the technologies that would enable X-36 and X-45 vehicles. “Every time we fly a number of ways. There are combinations file. Cranfield built the blended wing body a Blended Wing Body to be built,” he said. a subscale vehicle, we learn something. All of engines and airframes, like this one, that airplane to Phantom Works engineers’ Depending on customer need, a next the lessons learned from those two vehicles may lead to significant noise reduction. specifications, which are critical to testing step could be a production aircraft, Prin- will be taken into account in general.” This configuration is expected to be – for a a unique aerodynamic design. Phantom cen said, though a more complicated set The X-36, for example, was similar to the very similar payload – much more fuel ef- Works is Boeing’s advanced research and of requirements could lead to a larger Blended Wing Body in that it was piloted from ficient than a conventional configuration,” technology organization. demonstrator. a ground station. Better interface with the pilot Collier said. Boeing officials envision the aircraft as a Dave Dyer, Cranfield Aerospace General is one lesson resulting from that research that Boeing Phantom Works engineers in multi-role platform for military purposes Manager of UAV Systems and Cranfield’s will be applied to work with the X-48B. Huntington Beach, Calif., specified the X- capable of a wide range of applications, BWB general manager and chief engineer Dryden’s experience with Altair also con- 48B’s outer mold line – the external shape said Norm H. Princen, Boeing Phantom said the company’s role on the project en- tributes to a foundation of work with UAVs of the airplane – using their aerodynamic Works X-48B chief engineer. compasses more than structures work. that will help shorten the learning curve on design methods. That information was sent “We’re really trying, with this vehicle, to “We’ve designed and built all the avion- the X-48B, Cosentino concluded.

NASA Dryden X-Press 15 July 2006 News Family Day This dynamic view of the ... from page 5 center (ED06 103-73) was captured June 23 it lands at Dryden, without the need by Dryden photographer for stairs. The mobile unit then Carla Thomas on Family transports crewmembers directly to to Work Day. Thomas was the Dryden Health Unit. a passenger in a T-34 pi- Family Day activities also helped loted by Gordon Fullerton spark enthusiasm and provide funds during two ﬂyovers. The for events that will commemorate T-34 ﬂew with a F/A-18 Dryden’s 60th anniversary. A bake on one pass and then sale and book sale fed the sweet tooth each aircraft completed a and the minds of many, raising $498 second pass individually. and $275, respectively. More details Pilot Jim Smolka and and information about anniversary Dave Wright were in the events will be available in future edi- F/A-18. tions of the X-Press, Special Delivery and on the Dryden X-net. A Nov. 4 gala is among events set to commemorate the anniversary.

Hot Structures ... from page 9 and lessons learned from that and other necessary for vehicle designers to do their loads labs projects as a database that can job more accurately and efficiently.” The car- be available for hypersonic research within In addition to providing information bon-carbon NASA’s Aeronautics program. Using that for physics-based modeling design and X-37 flaperon information to advance technologies analysis and optimization tools, Hud- qualification required for development of next-genera- son sees a practical role for the lab in unit undergoes tion hypersonic vehicles is where the loads helping companies advance aeronautics mechanical lab could potentially make the greatest data. For example, a company needing qualification contribution. to qualify a part, subsystem or even an testing. “Our goal,” said Hudson, “is to provide entire aircraft for use at temperatures accurate data under simulated flight con- up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit could ditions to analysts so they’ll have the best tap loads lab personnel to conduct the possible opportunity for validating their necessary tests. models of advanced hot-structures and “Our plan is to partner with private thermal protection materials. industry and other government entities “As a follow-on goal, we want to take the through cost-sharing agreements in an validated high-fidelity models and come up effort to advance structural technologies with the tool or tools that can be used to that are useful to not only our custom- simplify the model so that it can run faster, ers, but also to NASA and the technical yet contain all of the pertinent information community,” he said. EC05 0197-28 NASA Photo by Tony Landis

Drill ... from page 3 the hospital by ambulance. emergency scenarios. Three observers also duplication of effort to a minimum and who impounds records and who secures Coordinating resources in an emergency took notes for a report to be written about allow maximum attention to the emer- an area until a preliminary investigation is situation was among valuable topics brought the activity at a later date. The exercise gency at hand, participants agreed. The complete. to light by the aircraft-ﬁre scenarios, said focused on preparing for a multitude of exercise also gave people a glimpse into In addition to satisfying requirements Andres Hernandez, a crew chief. variations on emergencies that center staff activities in areas of the center other than of Dryden’s Aviation Safety Plan, the In the exercise, participants were asked could potentially encounter on any given their own, and into the duties for which exercise also met FEMA’s annual require- to write down answers to questions about workday. employees in those areas would be respon- ments for emergency preparedness and what role they would play in six different Clearly identiﬁed roles will keep sible. For example, participants learned exercises.

Experiment ... from page 11 this was a “once-in-a-lifetime experience,” a classroom and not ﬂying,” she said, adding he “never thought I would be in a class like ished the students in jest, “You’re in school. calling this the best academic year she has that to complete this experiment, students this with a big experiment.” Sitz found that You’re not supposed to have fun.” But the had and saying it has been “a lot of fun.” learned to convert temperatures taken with Gatorade heated faster than water. He is the experiment had successfully merged fun Her twin sister Rachel added that students a Celsius thermometer into Fahrenheit. son of Joel Sitz, Dryden’s director of the with learning. compared the results of their classroom ex- The twins are daughters of Dryden’s deputy Exploration mission. The students, incidentally, lost their periment with Deal’s on the C-9. director for ﬂight operations, Mike Thomson. At one point, when the students’ enthu- bets. The two teachers proved their mettle; “The difference was that we are sitting in Fellow student Billy Sitz commented that siasm grew in the classroom, Deal admon- neither became airsick.

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