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Collection:
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NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Collection
Collection
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Collection
Collection
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Photo Description:
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NASA's F-15B carrying thermal insulation foam on its flight test fixture is shadowed by a NASA F-18B chase aircraft during a LIFT experiment research flight.
Photo_Description
NASA's F-15B carrying thermal insulation foam on its flight test fixture is shadowed by a NASA F-18B chase aircraft during a LIFT experiment research flight.
Photo Description
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Project Description:
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Before the Space Shuttle can safely return to flight, engineers need data on how insulating foam debris or "divots" behave when these small pieces are shed from the Shuttle's external fuel tank during launch. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center conducted a series of flight tests of the divots as part of the Return to Flight team effort. The Lifting Insulating Foam Trajectory (LIFT) flight test series at Dryden used the center's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft to test these "divots" in a real flight environment at speeds up to about Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound.
Small-scale divoting occurs when the adhesive on the external tank thermal protection system (TPS) foam fails. This occurs as a result of decreasing atmospheric pressure combined with increased heating during Shuttle ascent causing air trapped beneath the TPS to expand.
Objectives of the LIFT flight tests on the F-15B include determining divot structural survivability and stability in flight and quantifying divot trajectories using videography. The flight data of divot trajectories may also be used for Computational Fluid Dynamic code validation.
NASA's Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, funded the LIFT flight tests at NASA Dryden as part of the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort.
The LIFT flight test required two new capabilities: an in-flight foam divot ejection system, and a high-speed video system to track and record the trajectories of the divots in flight. Both capabilities were developed by Dryden engineers in just over two months.
Dryden's LIFT team designed, fabricated, and ground-tested four different divot ejection systems, completing 70 ground tests to determine and refine the best approach. NASA Dryden engineers also designed and procured the very high-speed digital video equipment, including development of a system to synchronize the cameras with the divot ejection system. In addition, they developed videography analysis techniques in order to quantify divot trajectories.
Project_Description
Before the Space Shuttle can safely return to flight, engineers need data on how insulating foam debris or "divots" behave when these small pieces are shed from the Shuttle's external fuel tank during launch. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center conducted a series of flight tests of the divots as part of the Return to Flight team effort. The Lifting Insulating Foam Trajectory (LIFT) flight test series at Dryden used the center's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft to test these "divots" in a real flight environment at speeds up to about Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound.
Small-scale divoting occurs when the adhesive on the external tank thermal protection system (TPS) foam fails. This occurs as a result of decreasing atmospheric pressure combined with increased heating during Shuttle ascent causing air trapped beneath the TPS to expand.
Objectives of the LIFT flight tests on the F-15B include determining divot structural survivability and stability in flight and quantifying divot trajectories using videography. The flight data of divot trajectories may also be used for Computational Fluid Dynamic code validation.
NASA's Space Shuttle Systems Engineering and Integration office at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, funded the LIFT flight tests at NASA Dryden as part of the Space Shuttle Return-to-Flight effort.
The LIFT flight test required two new capabilities: an in-flight foam divot ejection system, and a high-speed video system to track and record the trajectories of the divots in flight. Both capabilities were developed by Dryden engineers in just over two months.
Dryden's LIFT team designed, fabricated, and ground-tested four different divot ejection systems, completing 70 ground tests to determine and refine the best approach. NASA Dryden engineers also designed and procured the very high-speed digital video equipment, including development of a system to synchronize the cameras with the divot ejection system. In addition, they developed videography analysis techniques in order to quantify divot trajectories.
Project Description
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Photo Date:
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February 16, 2005
Photo_Date
February 16, 2005
Photo Date
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NASA Photo by:
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Jim Ross
NASA_Photo_by
Jim Ross
NASA Photo by
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facet_what:
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Space Shuttle Orbiter
facet_what
Space Shuttle Orbiter
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Texas
facet_where
Texas
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC)
facet_where
Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC)
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Johnson Space Center (JSC)
facet_where
Johnson Space Center (JSC)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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February 16, 2005
facet_when
February 16, 2005
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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2005
facet_when_year
2005
facet_when_year
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Photo Number:
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EC05-0030-10
Photo_Number
EC05-0030-10
Photo Number
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UID:
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SPD-DRYDEN-EC05-0030 -10
UID
SPD-DRYDEN-EC05-0030 -10
UID
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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