NASA: The High-Speed Frontier

[KJ_Lesnick]

I found this online while doing a research on a totally different subject: The information presented on this site was frankly incredible and helped answer a lot of questions I had regarding early research into transonic and supersonic flight as well as, to a degree, the state of affairs in multi-disciplinary research.

I figure this is something that everybody here would find interesting.

The High-Speed Frontier
Table of Contents​

Foreword​

I. Introduction

II. The High-Speed Airfoil Program: Background and Origins (1745-1927)

A. The Quest for Understanding (1745-1927)
B. Increasing the Critical Speed (1928-1935)
C. Supercritical and Transonic Aerodynamics (1945-1956)
D. Supercritical Airfoils (1957-1978)

III. Transonic Wind-Tunnel Development (1940-1950)

A. The Choking Problem
B. The Re-Powered 8-Foot High-Speed Tunnel & Small-Model Techniques
C. Transonic Airfoil Facilities
D. The Annular Transonic Tunnel
E. Wing-Flow and Bump Methods
F. The Body-Drop and Rocket-Model Techniques
G. High-Speed Research Airplanes
H. The Slotted Transonic Tunnel
I. Comment on Management Methods

IV. The High-Speed Propeller Program

A. The Emergency Propeller Program
B. Full-Scale Propellers in the 16-Foot High-Speed Tunnel
C. Propeller-Blade Pressure-Distributions at High-Speeds
D. One-Blade Propeller-Tests
E. Sweptback Propellers
F. Transonic and Supersonic Propellers
G. High-Speed Flight-Tests of Propellers

V. High-Speed Cowlings, Inlets & Outlets, and Internal-Flow Systems

A. High-Speed Cowlings
B. High-Speed Air Inlets and Outlets
C. Internal-Flow Systems-Effects of Heat and Compressibility
D. The Ramjet Investigation

VI. Acknowledgements

VII. References

VIII. Appendix: List of Transonic Facilities