Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar Theses and Dissertations Student Graduate Works 6-2006 High Altitude Airship Station-Keeping Analysis Douglas P. Kondrack Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/etd Part of the Aerospace Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Kondrack, Douglas P., "High Altitude Airship Station-Keeping Analysis" (2006). Theses and Dissertations. 3615. https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/3615 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Graduate Works at AFIT Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AFIT Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HIGH ALTITUDE AIRSHIP STATION-KEEPING ANALYSIS THESIS Douglas P. Kondrack, Ensign, USN AFIT/GAE/ENY/06-J07 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. AFIT/GAE/ENY/06-J07 HIGH ALTITUDE AIRSHIP STATION-KEEPING ANALYSIS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University Air Education and Training Command In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering Douglas P. Kondrack, BS Ensign, USN June 2006 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my faculty advisors, Dr. Richard Cobb and Lt Col Eric J. Stephen, for their guidance and support throughout the course of this thesis effort. Their insight and experience was certainly appreciated. I would also like to thank my spouse for both the support and latitude provided to me in this endeavor. Douglas P. Kondrack iv Table of Contents Page Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................v List of Figures................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xi Abstract............................................................................................................................ xii 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................1 1.1 Motivation............................................................................................................1 1.2 Background .........................................................................................................2 1.3 Research Objectives/Questions..........................................................................3 1.4 Methodology Overview.......................................................................................4 1.5 Assumptions/Limitations....................................................................................5 1.6 Implications .........................................................................................................6 1.7 Thesis Overview ..................................................................................................6 2 Literature Review.......................................................................................................7 2.1 Chapter Overview...............................................................................................7 2.2 Historic US airship applications........................................................................7 2.2.1 Three Principle Airship Designs.............................................................. 9 2.2.1.1 Rigid Airships........................................................................................ 9 2.2.1.2 Non-rigid Airships .............................................................................. 10 2.2.1.3 Semi-rigid Airships ............................................................................. 11 2.2.2 US Military Airships............................................................................... 12 2.2.2.1 Rigid US Navy Airships...................................................................... 12 2.2.2.1.1 USS Shenandoah ........................................................................... 13 2.2.2.1.2 R-38 ................................................................................................ 14 2.2.2.1.3 USS Los Angeles............................................................................ 15 2.2.2.1.4 USS Akron ..................................................................................... 16 2.2.2.1.5 USS Macon .................................................................................... 17 v 2.2.2.2 Non-rigid US Navy Airships .............................................................. 18 2.2.2.2.1 Type K Non-rigid .......................................................................... 19 2.2.2.2.2 Type M Non-rigid ......................................................................... 20 2.2.2.2.3 Type ZPG Non-rigid..................................................................... 21 2.2.3 US Military Airship Operations ............................................................ 22 2.3 Future Airship Development ...........................................................................24 2.3.1 Lockheed Martin’s High Altitude Airship ........................................... 24 2.3.1.1 High Altitude Airship Mission........................................................... 25 2.4 High Altitude Wind...........................................................................................26 2.4.1 Temperature Gradient With Respect to Altitude................................ 27 2.4.2 East Wind and West Wind Crossover .................................................. 31 2.5 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................36 3 Methodology..............................................................................................................37 3.1 Chapter Overview.............................................................................................37 3.2 Airship Mission Description ............................................................................37 3.2.1 Ground Footprint.................................................................................... 38 3.3 Baseline Airship Design....................................................................................42 3.3.1 Design Criteria ........................................................................................ 43 3.3.2 Airship #1 (AS #1)................................................................................... 48 3.3.3 Airship #2 (AS #2)................................................................................... 51 3.4 Weather Models ................................................................................................53 3.4.1 Site Specific Upper Air Climatology (SSUAC) .................................... 53 3.4.2 1.0 Degree Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) ........................................................................................................... 56 3.5 Station-keeping Mission Analysis....................................................................60 3.6 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................67 4 Analysis and Results.................................................................................................68 4.1 Chapter Overview.............................................................................................68 vi 4.2 Airship #1 Station-keeping Mission Results...................................................68 4.2.1 Winter ...................................................................................................... 69 4.2.2 Spring....................................................................................................... 71 4.2.3 Summer.................................................................................................... 74 4.2.4 Fall............................................................................................................ 76 4.2.5 Airship #1 Mission Summary ................................................................ 79 4.3 Airship #2 Station-keeping Mission Results...................................................79 4.3.1 Winter ...................................................................................................... 80 4.3.2 Spring....................................................................................................... 82 4.3.3 Summer.................................................................................................... 85 4.3.4 Fall............................................................................................................ 88 4.3.5 Airship #2 Mission Summary ................................................................ 91 4.4 NOGAPS