Feb 29 1972
From The Space Library
Symposium "A Progress Report on Flight Investigations of Supercritical Wing Technology" was held at Flight Research Center for engineers and scientists from Government, industry, and airlines. Meeting included interim report of NASA supercritical wing flight- test pro-gram and report on evolution of F-8 supercritical wing configuration. Dr. Richard T. Whitcomb, head of 8-Foot Tunnels Branch at Langley Research Center and developer of supercritical wing concept, commented on correlation of wind-tunnel and flight- test results. Flight tests of NASA supercritical wing on TF-8A aircraft had demonstrated that new airfoil shape increased flight efficiency at speeds near mach 1. Since its first flight March 9, 1971, TF-8A had carried supercritical wing on 27 flights and had reached mach 1.2 (1274 km per hr; 792 mph) and 15 500-km (51000-ft) altitude. NASA test pilot Thomas C. McMurtry said flight-test program had indicated that piloting procedures and tasks at near-sonic cruise speeds should be as routine as present jet transport operations and that introduction of supercritical wing was not expected to cause any serious problems. Future plans for supercritical wing included addition of side fairings for increased area ruling, determination by simulation of effects of wing roughness from manufacturing imperfections, and development of plans for follow-on flight programs to further the readiness of new technology for industry applications. (FRC Release 2-72; FRC X-Press, 2/18/72, 2)
Large storage battery at Manned Spacecraft Center exploded, killing one man and seriously injuring another. Battery was near underwater tank where astronauts trained in simulated weightlessness. Training Supervisor Kirby C. Dupree, who was killed, and James E. Scott-both employed by Brown & Root-Northrop - apparently had been performing routine maintenance on the 240-cu-m (64 000-.gal) tank. No astronauts were in the building. (W Post, 3/1/72, A4; Reuters, NYT, 3/1/72, 24)
Single-stage Nike rocket, carrying 47.2-kg (104-lb) payload, was launched by NASA from Wallops Station to 11600-m (38 000-ft) altitude to obtain precise records of vibrations and accelerations caused by small variations in burning process of solid-fueled rocket motor. Flight data would be compared with similar measurements made in ground vibration tests and captive firings and was expected to provide improved knowledge of effects of rocket-motor burning on payload dynamics for more efficient payload design. Rocket and instruments functioned satisfactorily and payload was recovered as planned. (WS Release 72-2; WS PAO)
Gerald M. Truszynski, NASA Associate Administrator for Tracking and Data Acquisition, described telemetry on-line processing system (TELOPS)-NASA's planned "new approach to data processing"-in testimony during House Committee on Science and Astronautics' Sub-committee on Aeronautics and Space Technology hearings on NASA FY 1973 authorization. TELOPS, planned to replace NASA data process- system that took "considerable number of weeks between the acquisition of data . . . and the actual delivery of that data to the experimenter," would increase processing speed and efficiency so that "both the greater real-time requirements and the greater volume can be accommodated."
With TELOPS "scientific and tracking data will be sent via the communications lines in near real-time where it will be prepared for entry into a large mass storage device" with "capacity of storing online all telemetry data acquired over a 6- to 12-month period. Existing computer would separate data and merge orbit and attitude. "The output product of this processing will be a combination of real-time data sent via communications terminals to the experimenters as necessary, and the generation of data tapes which can be forwarded to the experimenters and used for permanent record." Advantages would be elimination of many tape-handling procedures, processing of more data on demand basis, and processing of data in near real-time to increase interaction of experimenters with flight experiments.
Daniel J. Harnett, NASA Assistant Administrator for Industry Affairs and Technology Utilization, reported that program included "cooperative efforts with over 150 public sector agencies, groups, and institutions, which have derived over 300 public sector problems currently under consideration; over 130 technology applications projects are underway, with projects at nine NASA Field Centers and activity sup-ported by nine major contractors." Interagency cooperative efforts included work with Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare; Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; Dept. of Interior; Dept. of Justice; Dept. of Transportation; Environmental Protection Agency; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; U.S. Postal Service; Veterans Administration; more than 77 medical schools and health care institutions; some 25 criminalistics laboratories; and 6 state highway departments. Efforts included projects in air pollution control, biomedicine, law enforcement, mine safety, postal services, urban construction, water pollution control, and transportation. (Transcript)
House by vote of 356 to 32 passed H.R. 11021, to control emission of noise detrimental to human environment. House rejected amendment-after consultation with NASA Administrator, Secretary of Transportation, and Federal Aviation Administration-that would have authorized Environmental Protection Agency to provide for control and abatement of aircraft noise and sonic boom. (CR, 2/29/72, H1508-39)
About 150 engineering students from universities in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi attended special Fluid and Thermal Engineering Seminar at Marshall Space Flight Center, held to acquaint them with hardware and system developments in fluid and thermal engineering related to their studies. Group included 22 foreign students representing 6 foreign countries, who were students at Univ. of Tennessee Space Institute. (MSFC Release 72-21)
Smithsonian Institution opened exhibit "Ballooning: 1782-1972" at Arts and Industries Building in Washington, D.C. Exhibit, depicting ballooning and brave aeronauts, was described by New York Times as prototype show for National Air and Space Museum, "appropriately headed by Michael Collins, the `anchor astronaut' for man's first landing on the moon in 1969." (Robertson, NYT, 2/29/72, 14)
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