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During an aerospace engineer's undergraduate studies, he or she
will attend classes in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structures,
stability and control, dynamics, design, propulsion, and computer
science, along with the related courses in mathematics, physics,
statistics, and chemistry required to understand the material. Upon
graduation, the new engineer will have acquired a basic knowledge
of how to build an aerospace vehicle. What only comes through
experience, however, is the understanding of the inevitable
imperfect process through which an aerospace vehicle is built. This
is the adventure of turning a basic concept into functional
hardware. Engineers working on a project must often deal with
ambiguous situations. They are routinely asked by management to
provide risk assessments of a project, yet even after careful
analysis uncertainties remain. The project must be accomplished
within finite limits of time and money. The question an engineer
answers is whether the solution to potential problem is worth the
cost and schedule delay, or if the solution might actually be worse
than the problem it is meant to solve. Review protocols are
established to ensure that an unknown has not been overlooked. But
these cannot protect against an unknown unknown.
Since the founding of the Dryden Flight Research Center History
Office in 1996, its staff has conducted nearly a hundred interviews
with retired and serving employees. Their recollections represent a
unique resource in understanding the development of aerospace
technology in the second half of the 20th century. Their personal
experiences, insights, and opinions allow the reader to gain an
understanding into what it was actually like to have been involved
with some of the milestone events in aerospace history. These
interviews have been edited and assembled into this monograph, so
that a wider audience can also share in their experiences. This
study covers the early years of what eventually became the Dryden
Flight Research Center. It spans the period between the arrival of
Walter Williams and the first group of NACA engineers at Muroc in
1946, and ends with the establishment of NASA in 1958. This
timeframe encompasses the breaking of the sound barrier, the
pivotal inertial coupling research, the first use of computer
simulations, the transformation of the NACA facility from a pair of
old hangars into a state-of-the-art research center, and the dawn
of the space age. These events took place against the background of
the end of World War II, the start of the Cold War, and the twin
technological revolutions of jet propulsion and supersonic flight.
They are told by the people who participated in these events, in
their own words.
During an aerospace engineer's undergraduate studies, he or she
will attend classes in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, structures,
stability and control, dynamics, design, propulsion, and computer
science, along with the related courses in mathematics, physics,
statistics, and chemistry required to understand the material. Upon
graduation, the new engineer will have acquired a basic knowledge
of how to build an aerospace vehicle.
The United States military space program began at the end of World
War II when a few people realized that space flight was now
achievable and could be employed to military advantage. Science and
technology in the form of advance radar, jet propulsion, ballistic
rockets such as the V-2, and nuclear energy had dramatically
altered the nature of war. Army Air Forces Commanding General Henry
Arnold wrote in November 1845 that a space ship "is all but
practicable today" and could be build "within the foreseeable
future" The following month the Air Force Scientific Advisory Group
concluded that long-range rockets were technically feasible and
that satellites were a "definite possibility."
First published in 2003 as volume 30 in the NASA "Monograph in
Aerospace History" series. This study contains photographs and
illustrations.
First published in 2003 as volume 30 in the NASA "Monograph in
Aerospace History" series. This study contains photographs and
illustrations.
Eleven Seconds into the Unknown: A History of the Hyper-X Program
is a sequel to the author's first book on the X-43A/Hyper-X
project, Road to Mach 10: Lessons Learned from the X-43A Flight
Research Program. The Hyper-X program involved the efforts of
numerous governmental and commercial organizations, each with its
own culture, experience, and tradition. A central theme of the
Hyper-X story is how these disparate groups and organizations
became a unified team working toward a common goal. Making the
team's task more difficult was the technological, political, and
funding challenges during nearly fifty years of scramjet
development. Eleven Seconds into the Unknown: A History of the
Hyper-X Program addresses these issues in compelling fashion, and
will appeal to anyone interested in high-speed flight, aerospace
history, the organization and management of technological projects,
and the future of spaceflight.
This is the first full-length history of the X-43 project, written
by the project historian at Dryden Flight Research Center. The
project achieved the first in-flight testing of a scramjet engine,
at speeds of nearly Mach 7 and Mach 10.The author recorded the
history as it was taking place. He received updates and documents,
attended the engineering meetings, witnessed the emergency
procedure training of the flight controllers, was at the flight
readiness review and preflight briefings, and watched the third
flight from one of the control rooms. After the third flight, he
interviewed many of the X-43A engineers and managers about their
still-fresh experiences and recollections.Based on that exclusive
access, the book illustrates - with real-world examples - how
groundbreaking technology unfolds. It details the development of
the scramjet over the last half-century, providing the reader with
an understanding of how external factors influence a new
technology.The book begins with the invention of the scramjet
concept, and then details the projects of the 1960s through the
1980s and why they failed.It describes how the X-43 developed from
these events, and follows the transformation from the original idea
through hardware development and testing, the loss of the first
vehicle, the return to flight, and the success of the second and
third flights, and explains what was accomplished.The book is
written with the engineering student in mind, to provide an
understanding of what they will experience once they join the work
force. Flight enthusiasts will love the photos and videos
documenting this exciting program. This volume was produced in
cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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