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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1471.PDF
filGHT, 12 October 1961 Missiles and Space flight. . . ar early test of basic equipment which will be used in later interplane-ta y flights. 'A Centaur-launched Mariner probe had been scheduled for mid-]c SI. The change in launch vehicles is being made in the interest of in reased reliability to be expected from the greater number of Allas-A ena B rockets which will have been fired before the Venus flight. 'The modified Mariner spacecraft to be launched on the Atlas-A.iena B will weigh about 4001b. Under study for inclusion in the pi ibe are a fluxgate magnetometer to investigate magnetic fields inspice; radiation experiments to detect and count energetic particles fr.m the sun and from outside the solar system; a micrometeoroiddetector; and a radiometer to scan the surface of Venus for temperature distribution." It appears that the wording of this release is euphemistic. Infa-zt, the change in launch vehicles is being made with reluctance, for the reduced overall impulse of the Atlas-Agena B is certain todemand a very great cut in payload. The figure of "about 4001b" given in the NASA statement compares with the full design weightof 1,1001b for the fully loaded Mariner spacecraft, a photograph of which was published on page 886 of our June 29 issue. X-15 GETS HOTTER North American's X-15 hypersonic research aircraft continues toexplore its performance envelope and stability characteristics in a satisfactory manner. On September 28, as a result of the flightprofile being chosen to level-off at 82,000ft, dynamic pressures and kinetic heating were experienced considerably in excess of anythingto which any aircraft has previously been subjected (photograph overleaf). The pilot was Cdr Forrest Petersen, US Navy, who saidthat the temperature of the Inconel X skin of the nose had reached "•possibly 1,100 F," so hot that smoke from burning paint andprotective surfaces inside the aircraft came "right out under the front of the instrument panel into my face." He went on to say•if it was dark enough the plane might glow in the heat, but I couldn't see the wings or anything out of the cockpit anyway . . ."' As on previous occasions, the aircraft was launched from theNB-52 mother-ship operating from Edwards AFB. A news agency states that the latter was flown by Maj Jack Allavie, and that"his co-pilot once again was Sqn Ldr Harry Archer, an exchange test pilot from England." Speed reached by the X-15 was 3,545m.p.h., the total free-flight time being about lOmin. It seems certain that several parts of the skin did, in fact, go beyond 1,000 F; theprevious highest temperature reached was 850 F. On October 4, in an entirely different type of experiment, stabi-lity and control characteristics were investigated in level flight at 2.850 m.p.h. at 79,000ft. The ventral fin of the X-15, which isalways jettisoned before landing, was not attached at all, tunnel testing having shown that the stability of the aircraft would beacceptable without it. Moreover, the pilot, Mai Robert Rushworth, USAF, deliberately switched off portions of the autostabilizationand autopilot/stable-platform systems several times, yet was still "able to handle the craft safely." HUGHES ION ENGINE An accompanying photograph shows the "business end" of an ionengine constructed and operated by Hughes Aircraft at their research laboratories at Malibu, Cal, under contract from NASA.Hughes started the work for the Marshall Space Flight Center in September 1960, with an initial contract worth some S460,000.The company have published detailed descriptions of the engine and research equipment associated with it, but the following briefdescription is provided by Dr Malcolm R. Currie, associate director of the Malibu laboratories:— "The propellant used in this type of engine is cesium, because ofall the possible chemical elements cesium atoms are most easily converted into ions. This propellant is stored in a reservoir fromwhich cesium vapour is diffused through a hot tungsten element, which ionizes the cesium by a process known as contact ionization.There then follows a system of electrodes to which voltage is applied in order to accelerate the ions to a very high exhaustvelocity. Finally, the high-velocity ion beam passes through a neutralizer region in which electrons are injected into the ionbeam to provide space-charge neutralization of the electric field associated with positive cesium ions. It is necessary to emit elec-trons at exactly the same rate as ions from the vehicle in space because, if only positive ions were ejected, the vehicle would chargeup negatively until it pulled the ions back to the ship. Moreover, it is necessary that the electrons be intimately mixed with the positivei»ns very close to the vehicle to produce equal positive and negative charge densities everywhere in the beam. If this detail space-cliarge neutralization is not achieved, the thrust can be reduced significantly by beam divergence and by return of the beam to thevehicle." On September 27 the engine was demonstrated to the Press, who>JW it operating in a vacuum chamber which as nearly as possible duplicates space conditions. Also displayed was an advanced com- 575 Described in an accompanying news-item, this ion engine by Hughes Aircraft develops nearly 0.1 Ib thrust puter-controlled analogue trajectory tracer, which simulates theelectrical conditions in the engine and permits the exact paths taken by the ions to be determined in order to assist in the design ofoptimum electrode configurations. Late next year a Scout launch vehicle is to lift a capsule containing a refined version of the engine,together with another powerplant produced by the NASA Lewis Research Center. The trajectory will be almost vertical, to anapogee of about 5,000 miles; this will provide a flight of about lhr in which to demonstrate the behaviour of the engines when operat-ing well outside the atmosphere. It is expected that a complete ion propulsion system, including a nuclear-electric source of power, maybe tested as early as 1965. MULTI-EXPERIMENT ATLAS LAUNCH An E-series Atlas ICBM was launched from Cape Canaveral onOctober 2 in a mission which is likely to prove of exceptional value. The 400,0001b-thrust Atlas E is the most powerful missile at pre-sent flying outside the Soviet Union, and the opportunity is being taken in its test-flying of making it carry additional payloads inorder to yield valuable data—in some cases completely uncon- nected with the Atlas programme itself. The October 2 missile was launched against a designated target5,000 miles down the Atlantic Missile Range. On the sides of the tapering upper section were attached two pods, each containing animportant experiment. The first contained pyrotechnic packages to simulate fuel-element cores which later will be used in nuclear-electric generators for satellites and spacecraft. The intention was that, as the pod re-entered the atmosphere, kinetic heating woulddestroy the containing envelope and ignite potassium and sodium flares inside. Tracking the trails from the burning flares was ex-pected to yield data on the dispersion of nuclear fuel and radio- active material from SNAP-type generators during re-entry. In the second pod was mounted the complete airborne guidancesystem for the Centaur. The subject of a news - item on pages 574-5 (Mariner to use Atlas-Agena B), Centaur has slipped badlyduring the past year, as reported in Flight for September 14 (page 414). On the October 2 flight the new guidance system was notconnected to the control system of the Atlas, but its performance was telemetered during flight. PANDORA This is reported to be the appellation of an air-to-surface missileunder development for use by the British Aircraft Corporation TSR.2 aircraft now being developed for the RAF. Nothing has beendivulged officially concerning the existence of such a missile, but this journal's file of Press cuttings has grown rapidly. Most of thereports use the expression "flying bomb," and at least two specific- ally state that the favoured design specifies ramjet propulsion. Itwill be remembered that one of the most difficult stipulations in the TSR.2 requirement is that the aircraft (and its weapons) must havethe ability to fly at tree-top height at transonic speed, and automatic- ally follow the contours of the terrain. In one of the most recent comments it is suggested that develop-ment of this weapon has ceased, without progressing beyond the feasibility and study stage. It may be recalled that TSR.2 is tohave high supersonic performance at altitude, where kinetic heating might preclude the carriage of a missile externally (it is for thisreason that the North American B-70 will not be able to carry Skybolt). On the other hand, an extensive range of weapons mustbe earmarked for the new aircraft, and it is doubtful if any air-to- surface missile of which details are known could be employedwithout degrading the TSR.2's operational capability. For a mis- sile to be ready in parallel with the aircraft it would have to be afirm development project already.
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