Has anyone done a HL-10 Lifting body?

[feek61]

Lifting Body Picture of the Day

Lifting Body picture of the day is a group photo of the pilots with the X-24B in the back. From left to right is Einar Enevoldson, John Manke, Dick Scobee, Tom McMurtry, Bill Dana and Mike Love. It's of note that Dick Scobee was the commander of the final space shuttle Challenger mission. He piloted the X-24B twice (near the end of the program, both glide flights).

 

[DarkHelmet]

Feek, I am beginning to think you have one in your garage AND you were one of the pilots!

Keep em coming!

BTW, I love the X-24B

 

[feek61]

No, just an obsessive fan, lol.

The X-24 has an interesting history starting with the X-23 back in the late 50's early 60's. The X-23 was a design that was considered more effiecent then the M2 design. The X-23 was a sub-scale version of the X-24A that was designed to be launched on the nose of an Atlas ballistic missile and was the only lifting body design that was tested in an actual re-entry. Four vehicles were built and tested (only 3 flew) and yeilded valuable data on the characteristics of these shapes during re-entry (which much of this was used in the space shuttle design). After the flight they splashed down in the ocean and I believe that only 1 was recoved (but on previous flights the data was transmitted during the flight) and it is on display at the Air Force museum in Ohio. Here is the X-23 on the nose of the Atlas prior to launch (you can see that it's the same shape as the X-24A right down to the cockpit):

In photos of the recoved vehicle you can see extreme charring on the nose and wing leading edges from re-entry. The black areas in the above photo are ablative material that was designed to burn off just like the heat-shields of the day (the bottom was also covered with the material). The actual testing of this shape is the reason that the X-38 was also the same configuration because it was the only shape actually tested from orbit altitudes.

 

[feek61]

Also of interest is the SV5J which was an aircraft exactly like the X-24A except that it was to be a jet-powered vehicle instead of rocket powered. Two SV5J's were built but never tested. One now is in the Air Force museum in Ohio and it has been re-dressed as the X-24A (which no longer exists because it was modified and re-designated the X-24B). The other is on display at the Air Force academy in Colorodo. Here is one of the few photos of the SV5J (notice the jet intake on the bottom rear between the main gear in this photo):

In an interview with Gerald Gentry he talked about when the X-24A's gear was deployed that you immediately lost speed (altitude) due to the front landing gear door acting like a speed brake. If you watch film of any of the lifting bodies landing you will see that the gear deployment is at the very last second before touch-down. The gears on all of the lifting bodies had a quick release and would deploy in less then 2 seconds because of this problem. Sorry to be so psychotic, lol.

Maybe I need to change my signature to "Lifting Body Archivist" lol.

 

[feek61]

Keep em coming!

BTW, I love the X-24B

I agree, the X-24B was just absolutley beautiful in person. I saw it a couple of times. The deep blue paint (with gold pin-strip) around the perimeter against the stark white body and black glare panel was very impressive. In the summer of 1976 it was displayed outdoors in Florida with no protection and by the end of the display it looked horrible. The paint had faded and completely oxidized and the stickers had all been either torn off by visitors or just peeled off. After it was moved to the Air Force museum they restored it and it looks great again. It was displayed under the wing of the XB-70 but I'm not sure if it's still there. Here she is under the wing of the XB-70:

There was a camera mounted inside the body at the very tip of the nose (which was a glass window at the very end below the probe).

I sure hope that someone does all of these!!!!


Will

 

[feek61]

The final chaper of the X-24 was the X-24C which was a hybrid winged craft with elements of the lifting body research included into the design. It was designed to fly at mach 8 and cruse at mach 6 using scramjet technology. It never got beyond the study phase but there was some pretty cool models of it.

Ok, that will be it for a while, sorry, lol


Will

 

[feek61]

Lifting Body Picture of the Day

X-24B just before touch down:

 

[OhioAstromech]

They moved the XB-70 and all the lifting bodies as well.
I will have to go check out the annex to see if they are there.

The United States Air Force Museum has changed completely since this picture was taken and they are in the process of painting the interior of all the hangers a dark gray.

I would love to see one of these built up.

Scot

I agree, the X-24B was just absolutley beautiful in person. I saw it a couple of times. The deep blue paint (with gold pin-strip) around the perimeter against the stark white body and black glare panel was very impressive. In the summer of 1976 it was displayed outdoors in Florida with no protection and by the end of the display it looked horrible. The paint had faded and completely oxidized and the stickers had all been either torn off by visitors or just peeled off. After it was moved to the Air Force museum they restored it and it looks great again. It was displayed under the wing of the XB-70 but I'm not sure if it's still there. Here she is under the wing of the XB-70:

There was a camera mounted inside the body at the very tip of the nose (which was a glass window at the very end below the probe).

I sure hope that someone does all of these!!!!


Will

 

[feek61]

Thanks for the update Scot. I had heard talk a while back of it being moved to the Research and Development Hangar about a mile away. I guess maybe they did move it. Please let us know what's going on there. The XB-70 sat outside for a long while before it was restored and moved indoors. Hopefully it's still inside.

Ok, I just picked-up a new Lifting Body DVD today so guess what folks!!! Enough material to last UNTIL someone takes on this project!!! :lol

Here is a GREAT shot of the HL-10 just moments after release. WOW!

 

[DarkHelmet]

Feek, do you work for some secret government agency? I bet you took that pic.

 

[OhioAstromech]

Will do.

I love your latest photo.
My Dad used to fly on B-52's during the 60's and 70's as a Tail Gunner.

Scot

Thanks for the update Scot. I had heard talk a while back of it being moved to the Research and Development Hangar about a mile away. I guess maybe they did move it. Please let us know what's going on there. The XB-70 sat outside for a long while before it was restored and moved indoors. Hopefully it's still inside.

Ok, I just picked-up a new Lifting Body DVD today so guess what folks!!! Enough material to last UNTIL someone takes on this project!!! :lol

Here is a GREAT shot of the HL-10 just moments after release. WOW!

 

[DarkHelmet]

We're did you get the DVD?

 

[feek61]

Well, I can't really say anything except I have some connections, lol

 

[DarkHelmet]

I KNEW IT :lol


well looky there. What's that contraption? Anyone make one of those yet??

 

[feek61]

We're did you get the DVD?

I ordered it from NASA and it was a pain in the arse!!! I have another one from another source coming any day now. I'll give a report on it if it's anything to crow about. There are a couple of good sources for video that have been available over the years but they only come around every now and then. I've been collecting Lifting Body stuff since the 70's so I have a pretty good size collection. The DVD I just got is basically two hours of material . . . about 6 mins of it lifting bodies (but it's still interesting). The DVD is called "Six Decades of Flight Research: Dryden Flight Research Center" and it's good if you are into that sort of thing.


Will

 

[feek61]

Lifting Body Picture of the Day

M2-F2 coming in for a landing. Notice the front gear; how it's twisted. None of the original lifting bodies had nose wheel steering so when they touched down sometimes they would swerve one way or another. Obviously this one did! Only the X-24B had nose gear steering and was the only lifting body to land on the concrete runway. All other lifting bodies landed on the dry lake bed.

 

[feek61]

Will do.

I love your latest photo.
My Dad used to fly on B-52's during the 60's and 70's as a Tail Gunner.

Scot

Me too! It's just such a classic and has been around of course forever. This NASA B-52 is one of the earliest ones built; the 10th one off of the assembly line. It's a "B" model and number 8 or in the vernacular "Balls 8." It by far is the oldest, longest flying B-52 (most of the active ones now are "H" models) but it has the fewest hours of any B-52 still flying (2443 hrs). Well, actually it's NOT flying anymore. It was retired a few years ago in December of 2004 and was replaced with a "H" model. NASA also had another B-52B during the X-15 program which was "Balls 3." It was retired in 1969 after the X-15 program and "Balls 8" remained the carrier aircraft for NASA until it's retirement. The above lifting body photo was taken from a plexiglass bubble that they added to the side of the plane for photography. There was also one forward of the wing. Here is "Balls 8" in it's earlier and later paint configurations:

 

[feek61]

Lifting Body picture of the day

Here is about the only other photo of the M2-F2 crash that I've seen:

 

[feek61]

Lifting Body Picture of the Day - TGIF color edition

Lifting Body Picture of the Day - TGIF color edition

It’s Friday and to celebrate we have today the great lifting body trifecta! First-up the star of the thread; the HL-10. Here is a great view of the back of the HL-10 before the engine was installed in its sub-sonic glide configuration:

Next up, the M2-F3. Here is a great photo just after the drop from the B-52 at the moment of engine ignition:

Lastly another great photo! Here is a photo from the pylon directly over the X-24B as she is falling away from the B-52. NASA has been taking photos from this same vantage point since the days of the X-1 but every one of them still looks so cool! This photo illustrates the beautiful lines of the double delta shape of the X-24B. Boy she was a beautiful craft.

 

[feek61]

LIfting Body Picture of the Day

Lifting body picture of the day. Today's picture is a great shot that goes along with the photo above of the X-24B in flight with a chase F-104. I always love the shots that include the chase planes.

The above photo shows the F-104 with the gear down to mimic the flight characteristics of the lifting bodies which helped to maintain the same descent rate. The F-104 could be configured to fly similar to the lifting bodies (with similar lift-to-drag ratio) and was used to train the LB pilots before they made thier lifting body flights.