Northrop HL-10
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HL-10 | |
---|---|
Type | Lifting body |
Manufacturer | Northrop |
Designed by | Langley Research Center |
Maiden flight | 22 December 1966 |
Retired | 17 July 1970 |
Status | On display |
Primary user | NASA |
Number built | 1 |
The Northrop HL-10 was one of five heavyweight lifting body designs flown at NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC--later Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California, from July 1966 to November 1975 to study and validate the concept of safely maneuvering and landing a low lift-over-drag vehicle designed for reentry from space. It was a NASA design and was built to evaluate "inverted airfoil" lifting body and delta planform.
Contents |
[edit] Development
Northrop Corporation built the HL-10 and Northrop M2-F2, the first two of the fleet of "heavy" lifting bodies flown by the NASA Flight Research Center. The contract for construction of the HL-10 and the M2-F2 was $1.8 million. "HL" stands for horizontal landing, and "10" refers to the tenth design studied by engineers at NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Main gear was a modified T-38 system retracted manually[citation needed], and lowered by nitrogen pressure. Nose gear was modified T-39 unit, retracted manually and lowered with nitrogen pressure. Pilot Ejection System was a modified F-106 system. Silver zinc batteries provided electrical power for control system, flight instruments, radios, cockpit heat, and stability augmentation system. To assist in pre-landing flare, four throttleable hydrogen peroxide rockets provided up to 400 lbf (1.8 kN) of thrust.
[edit] Operational history
After delivery to NASA in January 1966, the HL-10 made its first flight on December 22, 1966, with research pilot Bruce Peterson in the cockpit. Although the XLR-11 rocket engine (same type used in the Bell X-1) was installed, the first 11 drops from the B-52 launch aircraft were unpowered glide flights to assess handling qualities, stability, and control. In the end, the HL-10 was judged to be the best handling of the three original heavy-weight lifting bodies (M2-F2/F3, HL-10, X-24A).
The HL-10 was flown 37 times during the lifting body research program and logged the highest altitude and fastest speed in the lifting body program. On February 18, 1970, Air Force test pilot Peter Hoag piloted the HL-10 to Mach 1.86 (1,228 mph). Nine days later, NASA pilot Bill Dana flew the vehicle to 90,030 feet, which became the highest altitude reached in the program.
During a typical lifting body flight, the B-52 -- with the research vehicle attached to the pylon mount on the right wing between the fuselage and inboard engine pod -- flew to a height of about 45,000 feet and a launch speed of about 450 mph.
Moments after being dropped, the XLR-11 was lit by the pilot. Speed and altitude increased until the engine was shut down by choice or fuel exhaustion, depending upon the individual mission profile. The lifting bodies normally carried enough fuel for about 100 seconds of powered flight and routinely reached altitudes of 50,000 to 80,000 feet and speeds above Mach 1.
Following engine shutdown, the pilot maneuvered the vehicle through a simulated return-from-space corridor into a pre-planned approach for a landing on one of the lakebed runways on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards. A circular approach was used to lose altitude during the landing phase. On the final approach leg, the pilot increased his rate of descent to build up energy. At about 100 feet altitude, a "flare out" maneuver dropped air speed to about 200 mph for the landing.
Some new and different lessons were learned through the successful flight testing of the HL-10. These lessons, when combined with information from its sister ship, the M2-F2/F3, provided an excellent starting point for designers of future entry vehicles, including the Space Shuttle.
- HL-10 pilots
- John A. Manke - 10 flights
- William H. Dana - 9 flights
- Jerauld R. Gentry - 9 flights
- Peter C. Hoag - 8 flights
- Bruce Peterson - 1 flight
[edit] What Might Have Been: the HL-10 In Space
According to the book, "Wingless Flight", by project engineer R. Dale Reed, if he had had his way, the HL-10 would have flown in space in the early to mid-1970s. Following the cancellation of the Apollo moon project, Reed realized that there would be substantial Apollo hardware leftover, including several flight-rated command modules and Saturn V rockets.
His plan was to heavily modify the HL-10 at the Flight Research Center with the addition of an ablative heatshield, reaction controls, and other additional subsystems needed for manned spaceflight. The now space-rated vehicle would have then flown on an Apollo-Saturn V launch vehicle stack in the same space originally used for the lunar module. Once in earth orbit, it was planned that a robotic extraction arm would remove the vehicle from the rocket's third stage and place it adjacent to the manned Apollo CSM spacecraft. One of the astronauts, who would be trained to fly the vehicle would then spacewalk from the Apollo and board the lifting body to perform a pre-reenty check on its systems.
It was planned that there would be two flights in this program. In the first, the lifting body pilot would return to the Apollo and send the HL-10 back to earth unmanned. If this flight was successful, on the next launch, he would then pilot the HL-10 back to earth for a planned landing at Edwards AFB.
Reportedly, Wernher von Braun thought it was a wonderful idea and offered to prepare two Saturn V's and Apollo Command Service Modules for the mission. Unfortunately, Flight Research Center director Paul Bickle said no, stating that this was beyond his expertise or area of interest.[1]
[edit] HL-10 flights
Vehicle Flight # |
Date | Pilot | Mach | Velocity -k/hr- |
Altitude - m - |
Duration | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HL-10 #1 | December 22, 1966 | Peterson | 0.693 | 735 | 13,716 | 00:03:07 | First HL-10 Flight Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #2 | March 15, 1968 | Gentry | 0.609 | 684 | 13,716 | 00:04:03 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #3 | April 3, 1968 | Gentry | 0.690 | 732 | 13,716 | 00:04:02 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #4 | April 25, 1968 | Gentry | 0.697 | 739 | 13,716 | 00:04:18 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #5 | May 3, 1968 | Gentry | 0.688 | 731 | 13,716 | 00:04:05 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #6 | May 16, 1968 | Gentry | 0.678 | 719 | 13,716 | 00:04:25 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #7 | May 28, 1968 | Manke | 0.657 | 698 | 13,716 | 00:04:05 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #8 | June 11, 1968 | Manke | 0.635 | 697 | 13,716 | 00:04:06 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #9 | June 21, 1968 | Gentry | 0.637 | 700 | 13,716 | 00:04:31 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #10 | September 24, 1968 | Gentry | 0.682 | 723 | 13,716 | 00:04:05 | Unpowered glide XLR-11 installed |
HL-10 #11 | October 3, 1968 | Manke | 0.714 | 758 | 13,716 | 00:04:03 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #12 | October 23, 1968 | Gentry | 0.666 | 723 | 12,101 | 00:03:09 | 1st powered flight engine malfunction landed Rosamond |
HL-10 #13 | November 13, 1968 | Manke | 0.840 | 843 | 13,000 | 00:06:25 | 3 tries to light engine |
HL-10 #14 | December 9, 1968 | Gentry | 0.870 | 872 | 14,454 | 00:06:34 | - |
HL-10 #15 | April 17, 1969 | Manke | 0.994 | 974 | 16,075 | 00:06:40 | - |
HL-10 #16 | April 25, 1969 | Dana | 0.701 | 744 | 13,716 | 00:04:12 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #17 | May 9, 1969 | Manke | 1.127 | 1,197 | 16,246 | 00:06:50 | 1st lifting body supersonic flight |
HL-10 #18 | May 20, 1969 | Dana | 0.904 | 959 | 14,966 | 00:06:54 | - |
HL-10 #19 | May 28, 1969 | Manke | 1.236 | 1,312 | 18,959 | 00:06:38 | - |
HL-10 #20 | June 6, 1969 | Hoag | 0.665 | 727 | 13,716 | 00:03:51 | Unpowered glide |
HL-10 #21 | June 19, 1969 | Manke | 1.398 | 1,484 | 19,538 | 00:06:18 | - |
HL-10 #22 | July 23, 1969 | Dana | 1.444 | 1,350 | 19,446 | 00:06:13 | - |
HL-10 #23 | August 6, 1969 | Manke | 1.540 | 1,656 | 23,195 | 00:06:12 | 1st four chambered flight |
HL-10 #24 | September 3, 1969 | Dana | 1.446 | 1,542 | 23,762 | 00:06:54 | - |
HL-10 #25 | September 18, 1969 | Manke | 1.256 | 1,341 | 24,137 | 00:07:06 | - |
HL-10 #26 | September 30, 1969 | Hoag | 0.924 | 980 | 16,383 | 00:07:16 | - |
HL-10 #27 | October 27, 1969 | Dana | 1.577 | 1,675 | 18,474 | 00:06:57 | - |
HL-10 #28 | November 3, 1969 | Hoag | 1.396 | 1,482 | 19,544 | 00:07:19 | - |
HL-10 #29 | November 17, 1969 | Dana | 1.594 | 1,693 | 19,687 | 00:06:48 | - |
HL-10 #30 | November 21, 1969 | Hoag | 1.432 | 1,532 | 24,165 | 00:06:18 | - |
HL-10 #31 | December 12, 1969 | Dana | 1.310 | 1,402 | 24,372 | 00:07:08 | - |
HL-10 #32 | January 19, 1970 | Hoag | 1.310 | 1,399 | 26,414 | 00:06:50 | - |
HL-10 #33 | January 26, 1970 | Dana | 1.351 | 1,444 | 26,726 | 00:06:51 | - |
HL-10 #34 | February 18, 1970 | Hoag | 1.861 | 1,976 | 20,516 | 00:06:20 | Fastest lifting body flight |
HL-10 #35 | February 27, 1970 | Dana | 1.314 | 1,400 | 27,524 | 00:06:56 | Highest lifting body flight |
HL-10 #36 | June 11, 1970 | Hoag | 0.744 | 810 | 13,716 | 00:03:22 | Lift/Drag powered approach |
HL-10 #37 | July 17, 1970 | Hoag | 0.733 | 803 | 13,716 | 00:04:12 | Last flight |
[edit] Aircraft serial number
- Northrop HL-10 - NASA 804, 37 flights
[edit] Specifications (Northrop HL-10)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Length: 21 ft 2 in (6.45 m)
- Wingspan: 13 ft 7 in (4.15 m)
- Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m)
- Wing area: 160 ft² (14.9 m²)
- Empty: 5,285 lb (2,397 kg)
- Loaded: 6,000 lb (2,721 kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 10,009 lb (4,540 kg) (propellant wt 3,536 lb - 1,604 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 x Reaction Motors XLR-11 four-chamber rocket engine. 8,000 lbf (35.7 kN) thrust
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,228 mph (1,976 km/h)
- Range: 45 miles (72 km)
- Service ceiling: 90,303 ft (27,524 m)
- Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
- Wing loading: 62.5 lb/ft² (304.7 kg/m²)
- Thrust-to-weight: 1:0.99
[edit] References
- ^ Reed, R. Dale; Darlene Lister (2002). Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813190266. also available as a PDF file.
- NASA Dryden HL-10 Photo Collection
- Developing and Flight Testing the HL-10 Lifting Body - NASA 1994 (PDF)
[edit] Related content
Related development:
Comparable aircraft: X-24 - M2-F1 - M2-F2 - M2-F3 - X-38 Crew Return Vehicle
Designation sequence:
[edit] See also
- X-plane - A list of all the X planes
- List of experimental aircraft
- HL-20 Personnel Launch System
Fighters: FT · XP-56 · P-61 · F2T · XP-79 · F-89 · F-5 · CF-5/CF-116 · YF-17 · F-18L · F-20 · YF-23
Attack: YA-13 · XA-16 · A-17 · BT · SBT · YA-9 - Bombers: YB-35 · B2T · YB-49 · B-62 · B-2
Transports: Alpha · C-19 · Beta · C-100 Gamma · RT Delta · YC-125
Reconnaissance: F-15 · RF-5 · TR-3 - Trainers: T-38
Experimental: N-1M · N-9M · MX-324 · X-4 · M2-F2 · M2-F3 · HL-10 · Tacit Blue · X-21
X-1 · X-2 · X-3 · X-4 · X-5 · X-6 · X-7 · X-8 · X-9 · X-10 · X-11 · X-12 · X-13 · X-14 · X-15 · X-16 · X-17 · X-18 · X-19 · X-20 · X-21 · X-22 · X-23 · X-24 · X-25 · X-26 · X-27 · X-28 · X-29 · X-30 · X-31 · X-32 · X-33 · X-34 · X-35 · X-36 · X-37 · X-38 · X-39 · X-40 · X-41 · X-42 · X-43 · X-44 · X-45 · X-46 · X-47 · X-48 · X-49 · X-50 · X-51 · X-53
See also List of experimental aircraft
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft