Aerospace Research and Development
Dryden Flight Research Center
NASA Headquarters and Centers Sky high successes are part of the rich tradition of the Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center, situated at Edwards, California.
Projects at Dryden over the last 50 years have led to major advancements in the design and capabilities of many civilian and military aircraft. Dryden engineers played a vital role in breaking the "sound barrier" with the X-1 aircraft in 1947, a historical first in aeronautics. Just as in the past, this NASA research center is flying the newest breed of vehicles today, built to break new ground while flying over clear desert skies.
Centurion is a remotely piloted prototype of a solar-powered airplane that can fly to high altitude, remaining aloft for extended periods. High above Earth, the NASA-sponsored research plane will carry science equipment to perform upper-atmosphere measurements.
Among a roster of current projects, is Dryden's Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles (ACTIVE) program. Outstanding flying qualities of a highly modified F-15 aircraft have been achieved when thrust vectoring of engine exhaust is integrated into the flight control system. The same aircraft also recently served as a test bed to evaluate a new neural network-based intelligent flight control software, designed to allow a pilot to safely control a damaged aircraft. Additional research activities at Dryden include the F-18 Active Aerolastic Wing that improves maneuverability and aircraft performance, and management of flight tests of Russia's Tu-144LL aircraft, a cooperative venture between the United States and Russia in high-speed research.
NASA's Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology (ERAST) program at Dryden seeks to demonstrate that an aircraft can fly at the edge of the atmosphere, at altitudes up to 100,000 feet, for hours on end. Centurion is a prototype of an innovative, remotely piloted, solar-powered airplane being developed under the ERAST effort. At this ultra-high altitude, Centurion--also known as the "Helios prototype"--can serve as an upper-atmosphere research vehicle, hauling sensors and instruments to record important data for scientists some 19 miles below. Flight endurance of the Centurion is about 14 to 15 hours.
In the summer of 1998, the Pathfinder-Plus--a Centurion predecessor--set an unofficial world altitude record for solar-powered aircraft. At 80,201 feet, the altitude was also the highest ever attained by a propeller-driven aircraft.
Pathfinder-Plus and the Centurion are providing a step-by-step approach to ERAST's ultimate "eternal airplane." This vehicle, named the Helios, will attempt to fly early next century for up to four months at a time at altitudes from 50,000 to 70,000 feet, while hauling a hefty 200-pound payload of science gear.
NASA's two ER-2 Airborne Science aircraft are based at Dryden. These flying laboratories collect information about our surroundings, including Earth resources, celestial observations, atmospheric chemistry and dynamics, and oceanic processes. ER-2 aircraft are also used for electronic sensor research and development, satellite calibration, and satellite data validation. These planes have supported ozone depletion study campaigns over Antarctica, the Arctic, Chile, and other areas to gauge ozone loss. The ER-2 has played a significant role in charting the extent of fires that raged through Yellowstone National Park.
Once an astronaut is in orbit and there is a problem, how can he or she get home in a hurry? Answering that question is crucial in the upcoming era of the International Space Station. Dryden engineers and NASA's Johnson Space Center have begun flight-testing the X-38. This prototype spacecraft could become the first new human spacecraft built in the past two decades that travels to and from orbit. The vehicle is being developed at a fraction of the cost of past human space vehicles. The goal is to take a "cheaper, better, faster" approach to spacecraft construction, taking advantage of available equipment and already-developed technology for as much as 80 percent of the spacecraft's design.
The goal of the innovative X-38 project is to develop a Crew Return Vehicle, a "lifeboat," for the Space Station. As the Space Station grows, holding as many as seven crew members, two X-38-derived Crew Return Vehicles may be attached to the orbiting facility. The first test drops of the X-38 have taken place over Dryden.
The X-38 prototype Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) is airborne under the wing of NASA's B-52 aircraft. Engineers are testing the X-38 as a step toward vehicles that would return crew members of the International Space Station in emergency situations. Dryden is the site for a rigorous flight research program, dubbed the "Hyper-X," or X-43A. This program is set to demonstrate airframe-integrated, air-breathing engine technologies. Such an engine concept promises to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including reusable space launchers and aircraft that fly more than five times the speed of sound. Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus launch vehicle is being modified to push the X-43A to high speeds. In the near future, the first of a series of X-43A flights are scheduled, with the Hyper-X craft geared to reach 10 times the speed of sound. These hypersonic speeds will demonstrate ramjet/scramjet engine technologies. If successful, the X-43A aircraft is designed to fly faster than any previous air-breathing aircraft.
Regarding the purpose of flight research, the work at Dryden is perhaps best characterized by the late Dr. Hugh L. Dryden himself, "...to separate the real from the imagined, and to make known the overlooked and the unexpected problems...."
Hyper-X program's X-43A vehicle is to be powered by air-breathing scramjet engine technologies, pushing the craft to 10 times the speed of sound. Previous Page / Home / Contents / Next page
