| General > General Technical Chat |
| OT: The X-15 |
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| Alex Eisenhut:
--- Quote from: cdev on April 03, 2021, 02:29:58 am ---There is nothing quite like stationary testing of rocket engines. They make a lot of noise, deep rich noise you feel in your chest.... Thy are hot too, as you might imagine. But to be up close and feel it is pretty cool. Very loud. --- End quote --- I did "stationary tests" when I was a kid. I bought model rocket D and E engines, dug a hole in the ground and put the engines with the fire hole pointing at the sky. It was fun, and the ejection charge was fun at ground level. |
| harerod:
--- Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on April 03, 2021, 01:59:40 am ---Quote from: harerod on Yesterday at 21:00:17 I simply had to look it up: glide ratio of 1:4. --- End quote --- I'd bet the F-104 has similar brick-like characteristics, with the X-3 Stiletto somewhere close too. --- End quote --- I bet that you already lost that bet, for both aircraft. Search terms "dead stick" or "glide ratio". I only have experience with better than 1:10, but would prefer 1:5.5 over 1:4 anytime. And 80kts less for landing speed. On the other hand - X-15 and Shuttle were designed for good handling in glide, plus adequate landing hear... |
| mathsquid:
--- Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on April 03, 2021, 03:39:04 am --- --- Quote from: cdev on April 03, 2021, 02:29:58 am ---There is nothing quite like stationary testing of rocket engines. They make a lot of noise, deep rich noise you feel in your chest.... Thy are hot too, as you might imagine. But to be up close and feel it is pretty cool. Very loud. --- End quote --- I did "stationary tests" when I was a kid. I bought model rocket D and E engines, dug a hole in the ground and put the engines with the fire hole pointing at the sky. It was fun, and the ejection charge was fun at ground level. --- End quote --- You had a fancy setup. The only "stationary tests" I did as a kid involved firing off bottle rockets with the stick stuck in the ground a little too far. "Fzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt POP!" |
| TimFox:
Back in the 1970s, an X-15 (flying at very high altitude) was used to map the distribution of the black-body radiation background left over from the Big Bang. A member of the team gave a lecture at the University of Chicago about the process and results. They had to cut holes in the skin to mount two microwave horn antennas. Lockheed had to bring back retired engineers to do the stress calculations, since the aircraft had a stressed skin structure. |
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