PRELIMINARY DESIGN STUDY FOR A HI-HICAT VEHICLE AND INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM
Abstract
A preliminary design study was conducted on an unmanned HI-HICAT (high-High Altitude Critical Atmospheric Turbulence) vehicle and instrumentation system to measure turbulence at altitudes from 70,000 to 200,000 feet. The vehicle configuration selected as optimum for this extreme range of altitudes is a parawing. For the study, emphasis was placed on designing a system for the middle portion of the altitude band from 100,000 to 150,000 feet. In this band a lifting body configuration is competitive with the parawing. Both systems feature a one-stage vehicle which is air launched from an F-4C aircraft at supersonic speeds. A cluster of eight P4-1 rocket chambers accelerates the vehicle up to cruise speed. The vehicle cruises in horizontal flight at speeds as high as Mach 6 until propellant exhaustion or until the sustainer engine is shut down. It then decelerates at the cruise altitude to obtain additional data miles. Recovery is initiated when the vehicle slows down to Mach 1.5. An air snatch completes the mission. Turbulence data is gathered by a digital system and stored on a magnetic tape recorder and telemetered back to the launch aircraft, the recovery aircraft, and any available ground station. An inertial navigator supplies attitude angle and acceleration data, but the fine scale attitude motions in turbulence are obtained from a package of three precision rate gyros. A one-axis, served Q-ball is recommended as the flow direction sensor.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0809829
Entities
People
- Fox Conner
Organizations
- Lockheed Martin