Triple-fuselage hypersonic model

[hesham]

Hi,

http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19750010115_1975010115.pdf

 

[Brickmuppet]

I think this is actually related to the Martin Spacemaster, a reusable 2 stage orbiter proposal.
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/spaaster.htm
If so, it's interesting (though logical) that it seems to have been considered for unmanned launches as well.

 

[hesham]

Nice Find DSE.

 

[publiusr]

Just today at phys.org we see the article "Hypersonic shock waves: 3D simulations expose new flow disturbances."

Hypersonic shock waves: 3D simulations expose new flow disturbances

At hypersonic speeds, complexities occur when the gases interact with the surface of the vehicle, such as boundary layers and shock waves. Researchers in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, were able to observe...

phys.org

A simple cone design was tested--flow being even up to Mach 6.

Beyond that--there was bifurcation.

https://journals.aps.org/prfluids/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.10.033901

Perhaps a multi-fuselage design could benefit.

Stage shock waves, not hardware?

More on hypersonics

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-high-intensity-tube-reveals-interface-1.html

Shock-tube experiments on strong-shock-driven single-mode Richtmyer–Meshkov instability | Journal of Fluid Mechanics | Cambridge Core

Shock-tube experiments on strong-shock-driven single-mode Richtmyer–Meshkov instability - Volume 1006

www.cambridge.org

https://phys.org/news/2025-04-sectional-area-variation-key-factor.html