US Lifting Bodies Studies - START (ASSET/PRIME), FDL, X-24, etc.

[XP67_Moonbat]

At Airrocket,

Do you have anything on Lockheed's MRS concept from the 60's?

 

[circle-5]

Lockheed X-24C L-301 display model by the Lockheed model shop, Burbank, California, 1976.

 

[airrocket]

Give those wings more anhedral to form an "X" pattern with the vertical fins and they get more bite at high AOA and roll stability on high swept gothic delta planform otherwise 301 looked very good.

 

[blackstar]

Has anybody seen pictures of PRIME being recovered from the ocean? I just saw a photocopy of a recovery, although I suspect that it was not the flight vehicle but a recovery test of a mockup.

 

[Void]

This would have been a better place for what I just posted, it might even be here.

Woops. :-[

 

[Triton]

Model of McDonnell ASSET found on eBay.

Source:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-RARE-McDonnell-ASSET-Mercury-GEMINI-NASA-Spacecraft-DESK-MODEL-/281138881739?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41752ee4cb

Seller's description:

60s Metal RARE McDonnell ASSET ReEntry GEMINI NASA Spacecraft SMALL DESK MODEL

This great model came from an Engineer from McDonnell in St Louis (birthplace of the Gemini capsule) who also had a few other models from similar Space and Air Force projects, see sellers list in coming days.

ORIGINAL Vintage piece DECAL WEAR as seen, possibly chalk/ plaster on a great metal base. A great piece of US ( United States of America) Space History. The unit is about 5 inches long and does not come off the stand which is about 5 1/2 inches wide. The story behind this craft is fascinating please read below, not stated but possible pre-technology of the shuttle.


ASSET, or Aerothermodynamic Elastic Structural Systems Environmental Tests

 

[Triton]

Model of McDonnell ASSET (Aerothermodynamic Elastic Structural Systems Environmental Tests) found on eBay.

Source:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-RARE-McDonnell-ASSET-Mercury-GEMINI-NASA-Spacecraft-DESK-MODEL-/281138881739?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41752ee4cb

 

[Triton]

Of the six vehicles built, only one was successfully recovered and is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

 

[Boxman]

Recently posted by the San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) Archives on their YouTube page, film (albeit silent) of a PRIME / X-23 test article being unloaded, mated to and launched from an Atlas missile.
SDASM Title: "Atlas X-38 Prototype Arrival (PRIME/X-23), Unloading, Mating and..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDAPjumZA1s

 

[hesham]

From page 26;


http://books.google.com.eg/books?id=XSBdL3exIJUC&pg=PA68&dq=flying+magazine+1960&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sZkNVIU7jNVq1ZuByA8&ved=0CBkQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

ASSET pamphlet.

http://aviationarchives.blogspot.com/2014/03/mcdonnell-asset-program.html

 

[Dynoman]

Lockheeds CL-651 unmanned air launched test vehicle from Bill Rose's Secret Projects-Military Space Technology. The USAF sponsored program produced "about 10 distinct designs that were all capable of being air dropped from a number of different USAF fighters and bombers."
The project was "linked to proposals for larger re-entry vehicles," Possibly MRS.

 

[Dynoman]

FDL-7MC GTV

Anyone know what GTV is? Global Transatmospheric Vehicle?

 

[Bill Walker]

GTV is often used for Ground Test Vehicle. These can be used for things like stiffness and natural frequency tests before flight.

 

[JimK]

While trolling the Internet for some other cutaway I came across this:

It was identified as the Martin Scout and was called "vintage". I looks to be a late-60s study and approximates in shape the AFFDL F-3K or F-4 lifting bodies. The cutaway presentation shows some curious details: It is, apparently, unpowered. It has a small payload bay, which can be opened to the outside. What is that at the blunt end? Some sort of detachable lifting body? Check out that visual aid for the high-alpha landing attitude. Anyone have any ideas as to what it was supposed to "scout"?

 

[Orionblamblam]

Some sort of detachable lifting body?

Most likely a nuke. If this was a research vehicle, it's unlikely it'd have three crew. "Scout" might not actually be a relevant designation, but it might have been meant to scout out ground targets to take out. Mobile ICBMs and the like.

 

[ohpossum]

It is, apparently, unpowered.

To me, the rectangular smoke stack means its coal fired..the two guys in the backseat have to stoke the boilers


The landing aid is very intriguing. But also, I've never seen skid+wheel combos for the main gear. I was always under the impression skid-type main gear were required when the aft end heating would be more than wheel/tire materials at the time could handle. Though being unpowered, maybe the reentry heating (suborbital only perhaps? Though the big winged nuke in the tail end makes that unlikely) on this design wouldn't be an issue. But then why skids at all then? well..they do look very cool, so that has to be worth some points

 

[antiquark]

The fiber-optic (?) periscope and landing skids are reminiscent to this one from up-ship.com. Seems to be lacking the nuke scout though.

 

[antiquark]

While trolling the Internet for some other cutaway I came across this:

It was identified as the Martin Scout and was called "vintage". I looks to be a late-60s study and approximates in shape the AFFDL F-3K or F-4 lifting bodies. The cutaway presentation shows some curious details: It is, apparently, unpowered. It has a small payload bay, which can be opened to the outside. What is that at the blunt end? Some sort of detachable lifting body? Check out that visual aid for the high-alpha landing attitude. Anyone have any ideas as to what it was supposed to "scout"?

If I may somewhat go out on a limb here, based on various things I've read...

That pointy, swept-back shape indicates that the vehicle had a good L/D ratio in the hypersonic gliding regime. This allowed it dip into the upper atmosphere, then maneuver around, performing continent-wide U-turns with enough energy to glide back home. It would be a pretty good bomber, coming in low, at 100,000 feet or thereabouts, and fast, at near-orbital velocities. So by the time it appeared on the enemies radar, it would be too late to respond to... the ultimate surprise attack weapon!

It's interesting that the payload is mounted "upside down" compared to the rest of the vehicle. However it's not hard to imagine a scenario that makes sense. "When you see Moscow, crank a hard left and then drop the bomb, which will make a hard right."

One tough engineering aspect of these hypersonic gliders is that they got extremely hot for a long period of time. They would have mostly relied on exotic metals and active cooling schemes, such as pumping water through the skin. So I think the crude "virtual reality" setup was needed because the vehicle had no windows, out of necessity.

 

[hesham]

The fiber-optic (?) periscope and landing skids are reminiscent to this one from up-ship.com. Seems to be lacking the nuke scout though.

Wow,very nice drawing,thank you Antiquark.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Some sort of detachable lifting body?

Most likely a nuke. If this was a research vehicle, it's unlikely it'd have three crew. "Scout" might not actually be a relevant designation, but it might have been meant to scout out ground targets to take out. Mobile ICBMs and the like.

Alternatively, it could be some sort of deployable penetration aid for the bombers that the Scout was intended to support.

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

A "pathfinder" bomber?

 

[hesham]

This is Rockwell's HRA (Hypersonic Research Aircraft), as it goes from the schematics above, it was 1973 Mach 10 subscale prototype of HSRA.

My dear Flateric,


here is a clearer views to Rockwell HRA;


http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/3.59842

 

[Bomiwriter]

Concerning Martin; they designed the second of the baby boost-gliders...called Prime and a few were successfully tested atop the Atlas booster. The other was McDonnell's Asset launched atop rebuilt ex-British loaned Thors. Asset tested out panels for Dyna Soar, while the Prime had a wrap-around insulation jacket testing it re-entry survivability. I believe it was designed by Hans Multhopp who was also one of the manager's in the BoMi Division of Martin-Bell, and helped design the team's Dyna Soar gliders. My Martin photo collection shows a family of models that are derivatives of the SV-5 config (lifting body type) modified into multiple astronaut carrying orbital supply, rescue, maintenance and orbital bombardment servicing gliders-they resembe "baguette" lifting body like vehicles like the X-24A. They tried to cover a field where the USAF was, during 1959-1961 or 1962, receiving studies from industry on both unarmed and armed boost-gliders or lifting body configurations necessary for a planned, or at least paper studied, orbital military space force...as Orion knows, this was the area many aeronautical firms threw in their hats with studies for same...it was known as SR-181...a very delicate subject even today. Martin was no slacker...they had several departments that did nothing but create radical ideas, pushing the known aerodynamics of hypersonic flight as far as they could go; their proposal for an orbital bombardment Dyna Soar was amazing...how in hell it was to be launched weighing around 34,000 pounds (I dunno if that was or without the reentry missiles aboard), and it came in short-snorter and long versions...short-snorter was for like 30 days or so while the long version was supposedly good for 6 to 12 months. Supplied, of course, by ta-da, Martin lifting-body spacecraft for crew-change and resupply. Amazing stuff and not in any way Star Wars style fighting ya know. Bomwriter ends.

 

[XP67_Moonbat]

I'll just leave this here

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3303/4589926701_25f47c74b0.jpg

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is the McDonnell-Douglas Hypersonic Arbitrary-Body Concepts.


http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/0851811.pdf

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Good Day All -

On EPay is this model of the Douglas proposal for the M2-F2.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Rare-Douglas-Aircraft-Space-Model-NASA-M2-F2-Lifting-body-Proposal-In-house-/331666639863?hash=item4d38df4bf7

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Hi All -

On EPay is this damaged unidentified display model - the decal on the fin is "FDL-5L-A":

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Factory-Desktop-Model/191702395576?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D33421%26meid%3D9758f427e29b48e1ac16315f8a786c28%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D331666639863

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[Stargazer]

Hi All -

On EPay is this damaged unidentified display model - the decal on the fin is "FDL-5L-A"

Well, that's not what I call "unidentified". It is clearly an FDL-5 proposal, therefore an FDL-5L-A it must be! Now is it generic or by a certain manufacturer of course remains unknown...

 

[hesham]

Hi,


here is a model of Fairchild Stratos landable-disc re-entry vehicle,


https://archive.org/stream/missilesrockets1119unse#page/n501/mode/2up

 

[hesham]

I'll just leave this here

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3303/4589926701_25f47c74b0.jpg

Hi,

https://archive.org/stream/missilesrockets1719unse#page/n691/mode/2up

 

[blackstar]

Had some issues with the scanner on this (operator error, meaning me). But some interesting stuff from a report.

 

[Michel Van]

What for interesting find, blackstar

thanks

 

[Richard9038]

I have an X-24B checklist given to me by one of the pilot., Any idea on the worth? I plan on having it preserved and put it under glasss

 

[Barrington Bond]

Enjoy!

 

[hesham]

Hi,

I never saw like this concept exactly,a variable-geometry reentry.

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19591102/49/2
http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19591102/50/2

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19600725/28/2
http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19600725/29/2
http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19600725/30/2

 

[hesham]

And;

 

[blackstar]

New DS paper.

 

[hesham]

Hi,

http://archive.aviationweek.com/image/spread/19730917/42/2