Dec 9 1974
From The Space Library
Wind-tunnel tests at Ames Research Center had indicated that NASA's swing-wing aircraft configuration could provide a practical design for an advanced commercial jet transport, NASA announced. The aircraft's straight wing, mounted above the body, could be turned to various oblique angles for different flight speeds and was proposed for slow and fast design versions. Operating at speeds of 800 to 1400 km per hr, the needle-nosed fast version would maintain relatively economical fuel consumption-13 000 to 17 000 km per cu m per passenger-about twice the fuel economy of supersonic transports like the Concorde or the Russian Tu-144. For slower flight, the wing would be fixed at right angles to the fuselage, for landings and takeoffs with minimum power and noise. The design's flexibility would permit shorter flight times with little increase in overall fuel consumption. (NASA Release 74-318)
A breathing system developed by Johnson Space Center using technology for solid-propellant rocket-motor cases was being evaluated in the field by Houston firemen. New air tanks were built of spiral-wound glass fiber over an aluminum liner to provide a lighter and more durable system. (NASA Release 74-320)
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