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Hypersonic Technology for Military Application (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Executive Summary
Pages 1-7

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From page 1...
... In particular, substantial technology demonstrations are needed, especially in high temperature materials and structural concepts appropriate to them, before a commitment to build an SSTO research vehicle can be technically justified. We recommend that the NASP program office retain the ultimate goal of demonstrating the technical feasibility of SSTO capability, but maintain an option of selecting less than SSTO as part of a prudent risk management strategy.
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From page 2...
... HYPERSONIC TECHNOLOGY FOR MILITARY APPLICATION Efficient operation at very high Mach number requires configurations that pose serious integration problems at other Mach numbers. Consequently, the low speed propulsion system must be integrated with the hypersonic propulsion system and overall aerodynamics in a way that does not degrade performance prohibitively over the entire vehicle speed range.
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From page 3...
... Thus, there will be a need for flight tests for full validation of CFD codes particularly at high Mach numbers. To provide essential data for hypersonic vehicle designs, we recommend: · The immediate consideration of a quiet tunnel in the Mach number 10 range and of a size and Reynolds number capability to permit testing of hypersonic configurations at close to full-scale conditions.
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From page 4...
... A control system designed to accommodate all the uncertainties that can be anticipated at this stage of the design would have to be very-robust and complex. Considerable savings in controls expenditures are likely if a phased flight development approach is adopted to reduce uncertainty as the flight envelope is expanded from subsonic to hypersonic speeds.
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From page 5...
... 15. Present military aircraft that operate mainly in the slightly supersonic regime have structural weight fractions of approximately 0.30.
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From page 6...
... Although the validation of three-dimensional hypersonic CFD codes is now relatively limited, we expect this situation to improve considerably in the near future as various results from suet codes and hypersonic experiments become available. The most intense local heating rates on vehicles such as the projected NASP research vehicle are expected to be on cowl lips, caused by shock-on-shock heating.
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From page 7...
... Measurements and analyses should be made of these characteristics of the atmosphere to provide a firmer base for use of test data in vehicle design and in flight test planning. It will not be possible to test hypersonic vehicles with orbital or nearorbital capability over the full range of 7 their flight conditions prior to flight.
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Key Terms

  • hypersonic aircraft
  • hypersonic flight
  • structural weight
  • aerospace plane
  • weight fraction

  • hypersonic vehicles
  • hypersonic technology
  • flight conditions
  • flight research
  • military application

  • hypersonic vehicle
  • computational fluid
  • altitude hypersonic
  • plane program
  • hypersonic speeds

  • fluid dynamics
  • auxiliary propulsion
  • auxiliary rocket
  • military aircraft
  • ssto capability

  • speed range
  • cfd codes
  • rocket propulsion
  • flight test
  • heat transfer

  • ssto vehicle
  • low density
  • nasp program
  • below mach
  • engine performance


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