Ablative coatings, 176
Aerodynamic forces, 58, 71, 102, 104, 112, 117, 121, 127; tufting to assess, 116; dihedral effect, 126
Aerothermodynamic/elastic Structural Systems Environmental Test (Asset), 8-9
Air Force, 8; attitudes about lifting bodies, 8, 65, 87, 111, 129; cancellation of Dyna-Soar, 8; Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, 111, 167; Space Systems Division of Systems Command, 130; requirements for Space Shuttle, 142-143; Scientific Advisory Board, 168; Systems Command, 168; Arnold Engineering Development Center, 168; Museum, 177, 179
Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), x, 75, 95, 149, 155; division of responsibility with the FRC, 75, 87; competition and teamwork with the FRC, 111-112; runway 04/22 at Edwards AFB, 174
Albatross SA-116B, 165-166
Algranti, Joseph S., 47
Allen, H. Julian "Harvey," 9
Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility, 5
Ames, Milton, 65
Ames Research Center, vii, 41, 66, 111; as Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, 9; wind tunnels, 17, 23, 41-45, 58, 80-81, 92, 111-112, 132; and dirigibles, 41; interest in lifting bodies, 9, 65, 69; objection to "elephant ears," 67; shuttlecock stability, 68; concern about sensitivity to gusts with center fin, 68, 84; and ceramic tiles, 142
Anderson, Arthur S., 95
Anderson, Herbert, 95, 148-149
Anderson, Keith E., 162
Apollo Program, 10; computer for Apollo Lunar Landing Vehicle, 171
Archie, Charles, 135
Armstrong, Johnny G., 87, 132, 171
Armstrong, Neil A., 47; and low lift-to-drag flights on F-104, 117-118, 175
Army, 191
B-29 mothership, 6
B-50 mothership, 6
B-52 mothership, 66, 67 87-88, 88 ill., 89 ill., 95, 122-123, 134, 150 ill., 189 ill., 191; adapter for launching lifting bodies, 67, 82; wind-tunnel tests, 82; adapter for HL-10 and M2-F3, 112; first launches from for pilots, 117; captive flight for X-24B, 171-172; captive flight for X-38, 190
Bacon, Donald, 95, 119-120
Bailey, Charles H., 162
Ballistic capsules, 8 10
Bang-bang controls, 148
Barnes, Florence "Pancho," 5
Barto, LeRoy E., 132
Bastow, William J., 132, 171
Bearce, Boyden "Bud," 34
Becker, John V., 69
Bergner, Chester F., 83, 132, 162
Big "G," 159
Bikle, Paul F., vii, x, xiii ill., xiv-xvi, xx, 17, 19,21,27,53,67,75,76,83,95,133, 158; Bikle Barrel, xv, 121; policies, 24; and Pontiac tow-vehicle, 39; courageous decision, 48; openness and honesty, 49; low-cost approach, 55; grounding of M2-F1, 62; relationship with Richard Homer, 73; career, 87; support of McTigue on "inspection" of M2-F2, 115; and Wernher von Braun, 140-141; and replacement of C-47 with Albatross,165-166; retirement, 166; and X-24B,168
Billeter, Orion B., 50, 53, 83, 89 ill.
Bisplinghoff, Raymond, 65, 72
Blair, Richard L., 95, 171
Blunt-nosed reentry vehicles, 9
Boeing Company, Rocketdyne Division,183-184
B0R-4 Soviet lifting body, 180
Branch, Irving, 75
Braun, Wernher von, 140, 141
Briegleb, Gus, 21-23
Bronson, Jack, 67, 111-112
Browne, Edward W., 20 ill., 43, 161
Bruno, John M., 80
C-130 transport, 180, 191
Carr, George M., 168
Cates, Andrew C. "Jack," 83, 95
Caw, Lawrence J., 95, 119-120
Center fin, need for, 68
Clifton, William D., 80, 95
Congress, 54
Control surfaces, 23-24, 29-31, 32 ill., 71, 79-80, 83-85, 102-104, 104 ill., 116117, 135, 137 ill., 145, 170
Control systems, see Flight Control
Cooper, Paul T., 168
Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, 83
Corum family, 3-4
Cox, Mel, 132, 171
Crosby, Jim, 82
Cross range capabilities, 155-156, 156 ill.
Curtis, Howard J., 20, 161
D-558-II, 6, 7
Dana, William H., xviii, xxi ill., xxii,31-32, 83, 117, 143, 149, 151-152, 180 ill., 189, 190; as mission controller, 50, 52, 55; altitude record, 123-124; report on M2-F3, 149-150; final powered lifting-body flight, 176
Data analysis in "good old days," 45, 103
DC-X, 182
DeGeer, Meryl D., 20, 46,80-82; and test of M2-F1 ejection seat, 47; installation of LR-11 on M2-F2, 104; center fin for M2-F3 and clearance with B-52, 112; M2-F3 operations engineer, 115, 144, 148
DeMar, Norman E., 82, 132-133, 170
DeMerritte, Fred, 66, 79; prefers HL-10 and M2-F2 over 2 M2-F2s, 69; agreement with McTigue on M2-F2 "inspection," 115; funding of X-24B, 168
Dives, Willard E., 162
Dorr, Paschal H., 162
Dowdy, Al, 7
Draper, Alfred, 167-168
Dryden, Hugh L., vii, 5
Dryden Flight Research Center, vii, 5; ethos, ix-x, xi, xv, 17, 19, 21, 48, 72, 73, 102-103, 122, 133, 171; role in X-33 flight research, 185; role in X-38, 187191; see also Flight Research Center
Duffield, James A., 162
Durrett, John, 87
Dyna-Soar, xx, 8, 129
Edwards, John W., 95
Eggers, Alfred J., vii, 9, 11, 16-17, 19, 69
Eldredge, Richard C., vii, 12-16, 13 ill., 22, 29, 43-46, 156-161; report author,41, 62
Enevoldson, Einar, xvii, xviii, xxiv-xxv, 177
Engle, Joseph H., xvii, xviii, xxii, 59
Erb, Fred R., 72, 103, 115
F-5D Skylancer, 107, 116
F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire program, 170-171; cost savings, 171
F-104 Starfighter, 90, 91 ill., 116-119, 174 ill.; low lift-to-drag flights, 117-118; steep approaches, 125; reaction controls, 152; simulating lifting bodies, 173, 175; simulating X-15, 175
F-11OA, 7
Faget, Maxi me A., 9, 142-143, 159
FDL-7, 155
FDL-8, 167
Fischer, Richard F., 161, 163-164, 180 ill.
Flight control surfaces, see control surfaces
Flight control systems, 15, 23-24, 29, 135136, 144-148, 146 ill., 150-153; see also stability augmentation system; bang-bang defined, 148
Flight research, 57; as compared with wind-tunnel research, 58
Flight Research Center (FRC), vii, ix, 5; "Skunk Works," 12, 16-17, 20, 115; "Wright Bicycle Shop," 21, 32; division of responsibility with the AFFTC, 75; working relationship with Northrop engineers, 77-79; rocket shop and M2-F2 "inspection," 111; Flight Review Board, 133; caution after crash of M2-F2, 133
Forster, John S., Jr., 168
France, 179
Garcia, David L., 95
Garrabrant, Daniel C., 148-149, 160 ill., 161
Gemini Program, 8
Gentry, Jerauld R., xviii, xxi ill., 59-62, 78, 83, 91-92, 104-105, 117, 121 ff., 139-140, 143; roll of M2-F1, 60-62; subsequent career and honors, 62; on M2-F2 dropping from B-52, 82; on M2-F3 compared with M2-F2, 116; on modified HL-10, 117; project pilot on X-24A, 132-136; final lifting-body flight, 149
Global Positioning System, 187
Gold, Dave, 162
Goldstein, Howard, 142
Gordon, John A. "Catfish,'' 132, 171
Gossamer Albatross, 14-15
Gossamer Condor, 14
Green, Robert G., 20 ill.
Greenfield, Lowell R., 95, 119-120
Grieshaber, Alfred S., 80
Haise, Fred W., Jr., xvii, xviii, xxii, 51, 59, 60, 83-84
Hakes, Ralph C., 72
Hallion, Richard P., 137; quoted, 123
Hamilton, Emmet, 35
Hamilton, Grierson M., 20 ill.
Haney, Pat, 95
Hankins, James D., 132, 170
Hansen, Grant L., 168
Harper, Robert, 84
Harris, Albert B., 95
Hello, Buz, 131
High Speed Flight Research Station, 3
High Speed Flight Station, 5
HL-10 lifting body, xi, xii ill., 66, 97 ill., 121-128; development, 69-73; shape, 70-71; fin arrangement, 71; statement of work and contract, 71-72; components, 72; cost, 72; wind-tunnel testing, 79, 81, 92; control surfaces, 71, 79-80; limited Air Force involvement, 92, 111-112; simulation, 92; marginal lateral-directional control characteristics of unmodified vehicle, 95-97; first flight, 96-98; post-flight analysis, 98-102; stability augmentation system, 99; grounding for 15 months, 99; modification, 102-104, 104 ill.; adapter for B-52, 112; return to flight, 116-117; length of flights, 116, 123; controllability, 117, 124; minor adjustments, 117; fist supersonic lifting body flight, 122; stability, 122-123; speed and altitude records, 123; general characteristics, 124; compared to M2-F2, 124; pilot ratings, 124-125; spot landings, 125; powered approach and landings, 128; total flight time, 128; plans for space flight, 140-141; total flights and final flight, 143; shuttlecock stability, 145; on display at NASA Dryden, 179
HL-20 lifting body, 181
Hoag, Peter C., xviii, xxiv, 117, 143; speed record, 123; poor visibility for pilot, 126; powered approach and landings, 128; landing lift-to-drag ratio, 175
Hoey, Robert G., 87, 92, 93 ill., 132, 135, 136, 138, 175; and X-24B, 163
Horner, Richard, 73
Horton, Victor W, 20, 31, 37, 44, 59-60, 89; report author, 41, 62; finds tow hook, 46
Huxman, Joseph D., 89 ill.
HYFLEX, Japanese lifting body, 181
Hyper III, xi, xii ill., 155, 160 ill., 161-166; 166 ill.; components, 162; at Castle Air Force Base, 179
Iliff, Kenneth W., 25-26, 33, 83; use of root locus on M2-F1 control system, 31, 3637; data analysis on M2-F1, 45, 49-50, 52, 57, 58; comparison of wind-tunnel with flight data, 58 59; parameter estimation, 59; concern about lateral control on M2-F2, 68, 84; data analysis for M2-F2 and other vehicles, 68 international Space Station, 181, 186 ff.
Jackson, Hugh M., 159, 161
Jackson, Roy P., 168
Japan, 179, 181
Johnson Space Center, 8, 47, 66, 70, 142, 159, 186 ff.; control room, 188; partnership on X-38, 190-191
Joint FRC/AFFTC Lifting-Body Flight Test Committee, 75
Josephs, Lyman, 131
Juanita's bar, 53
Karman vortex, 44
Kellogg, Raymond J., 132, 171
Kelly, LaVern W., 115, 161
Kemp, Bill, 102
Kempel, Robert W., 26, 95, 117, 121, 123; as author of report, 95-96; analysis of unmodified HL-10, 99-103; on M2-F3, 113; report on M2-F2, 113; report on M2-F3, 149-150
Kenyon, George, 66, 67
Kiker, John, 74, 186
King, Jay L., 80, 83, 89 ill., 108, 144
Kirsten, Paul, 132, 135
Klein, Richard E., 20, 180 ill.; report author,41,62; and test of M2-F1 ejection seat, 47
Kock, Berwin, 82, 89, 95, 102, 121
Kolf, Jack L., 120, 171; fast-time simulation, 120; X-24A, 132
Kotfilm, Ron, 132
Kramer Prize, 13-14
Krier, Gary, 118
Langley lenticular body, 14 ill., 14
Langley Research Center, vii, 53, 66, 111; interest in lifting bodies, 65, 69-70; as mother center, 69; design of HL-10, 71, 79-80; wind-tunnel tests, 79, 82, 95, 102-103,158; solutions to the problem of the unmodified HL-10, 102-103; HL-20, 181
Laub, Georgene, 95
Layton, Garrison P., Jr., 93-94, 96, 102, 112, 121, 163
LePage, William R., 80-81, 83, 144, 149
Lifting body, definition, vii; concept, 9-10; design and test by Russia, Japan, and France, 179
Lifting-body program, passim; beginnings, x; nature, xii; objectives, 66; aerodynamic heating penalty, 71; thermal protection research, 71; teamwork, 111-113; roll control, 113-114; lengths of flights, 117 (and see individual vehicles); uniqueness, 127; significance, ix, 128, 142, 175, 179-192; cost and size, 129
Lightning fighter, 130
Linear aerospike rocket engine, 183-184
Link, William K., 83, 95
Linn, Charles C., 20
Little Joe solid rockets, 73-74
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, 182-185
Lockheed Space Systems, 142
Lockwood, Millard 1., 83
Love, Eugene, 65, 69, 79; and studies of Shuttle configurations, 142
Love, Michael V., xviii, xxiv, 173-175; fastest X-24B flight, 173
Lovett, John W. "Bill,', 95
Lowder, Clyde E. "Ernie," 23
LR-8 rocket engine, xi
LR-11 rocket engine, xi, 66, 136, 139, 169; rotation in M2-F3, 115; contrail, 127
Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, 47, 140; ejection seat, 47; reaction controls, 152
M1-L half cone, 14 ill., 15
M2 design, vii
M2-F1 lifting body, viii ill.. ix, xi, xii ill., 13 ill., 22 ill., 32, 42 ill., 51-52 ill., 55 ill., 143 ill., 166 ill.; model, 11-12; shape, 14 ill., 15; initial teams, 16-23; analytical team, 23-28; mono for project, 17; "flying bathtub ' 19; cost 19; design, 19-21, 23; fabricators adjacent to designers, 21; wooden shell, 22-23, 32; flight controls, 23-24, 29, 36-38, 144; simulator, 28 ill.31; wheels and nose gear, 31; steel skeleton, 31-32; plexiglass canopy, 32; time to construct, 32; weight, 33, 46; in Ames wind tunnel, 43-45, 58; eliminating a Karman vortex, 44; flight research, 4662; ejection seat, 46-47, 61 ill.; structural loads, 46; instrumentation, 49; control room, 49; mission controller, 50; fist airtow, 50-53; as expendable vehicle, 53; damage to landing gear, 56; replacement of landing gear, 56; types of maneuvers, 57; length of flights, 58; lifting-body pilot checkout, 59-60; grounding, 62; significance, 62-63; comparison with M2-F2 and -F3, 114 and 114 ill.; restoration, 179, 180 ill.
M2-F2 lifting body, ix, xi, xii ill., 67-69, 88 ill., 91 ill.; no "elephant ears," 67; shuttlecock stability, 68; need for center fin, 68, 84; development, 67-69, 71-73; statement of work and contract, 71-72; components, 72; cost, 72; and Little Joe rockets, 74; cockpit design, 78; rollout, 80; overall design and size, 80; stability augmentation system, 80, 83; ejection seat, 80; comparison with M2-F1, 80; wind-tunnel tests, 80-82; steep descent, 82, 124; angry qualities and crash, 8385, 88, 105-111, 107 ill.; rudder/aileron interconnect ratio, 84 ill; fist flight, 8788; installation of LR-11, 104; "inspection," 111-114, 144; comparison with M2-F1 and -F3, 114 and 114 ill.; comparison with M2-F3, 116, 145; comparison with HL-10, 124; concerns about safety for other lifting bodies following crash, 138-139
M2-F3 lifting body, xii ill., 144-153, 149 ill., 150-153; conversion from M2-F2, 111-115, 144; center fin, 112-113; adapter for B-52, 112; comparison with M2-F1 and -F2, 114 and 114 ill.; cost of conversion, 115; rotation of LR-11 rocket engines in, 115, 144; hydrogen-peroxide roll-control system, 116; Gentry's comparison with M2-F2, 116, 144; cost, 144; team, 144; control system, 144-147, 150-153; speed brake, 145; reaction controls, 148; bomb on ramp incident, 148-149; total missions, 149; flight records and last flight, 150; comparison with HL-10 and X-24A, 150-151; landing lift-to-drag ratio, 175; in Smithsonian, 179
Maag Henry J. ''Jay" IV, 132
Majors, Lee, 108
Mallick, Donald L., xviii, xx, 50, 55 ill.
Manke, John A., xviii, xxii-xxiv, xxiii ill., 97, 106, 117, 121 ff., 139-140, 143, 149, 173-175; first supersonic lifting-body flight, 122; highest X-24B flight, 173
Manned Lifting Re-entry Vehicle, 69
Marshall Space Flight Center, 141
Martin Aircraft Company, 53, 111, 129132, 134, 136
Martin Marietta Corp., 168-169, 171
Maximum likelihood estimator, see parameter estimation
McAlister, Thomas A., 162
McCready, Paul, 14
McDonald, Frank C., 161
McDonnell Douglas, 8, 182
McKay, John B., 50-51
McKinny, Linwood "Wayne," 102
McMurtry, Thomas C., xviii, xxv, 118-119, 177; final lifting-body flight, 177, 179
McTigue, John, 72, 76 ill., 77, 95-96, 132, 140; "inspection of M2-F2," 111-115, 144; backed up by Bikle, 115,144; funding of X-24B, 168
Mercury Program, 8, 10; "man in a can," 70
Mersereau, William D., 95, 162
Meyerson, Rob, 186-187
MIG-15, 130
Mingele, Ed, 32
Model "mothership," 158, 166 ill.
Models, remote control, 166 ill.
Montoya, Lawrence C., 132, 176
Moore, Gaston, 171
Moshier, Bob, 132
Multhopp, Hans, 129-130, 136
Muratore, John, 188-191
Muroc Flight Test Unit, ix, 3
Murray, James E., 187; report author, 188 n.
National Academy of Sciences, 168
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 9-10
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Headquarters, 54; Office of Advanced Research and Technology, 65, 79, 114-115; approval of modification to M2-F2, 115; decision on Shuttle, 143; and "hobby-shop projects," 157; assertion of authority, 166
National AeroSpace Plane, 181-182
Neufeld, David, 187; report author, 188 n.
Nichols, George H. Jr., 20, 49
North American Aviation, 72
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, 181
North Carolina State University, 181
Northrop Corporation, xii, 53, 72-73, 77, 102, 144; Norair Division's method of producing HL-10 and M2-F2, 73; working relationship with Flight Research Center personnel, 73, 77-79, 95; modification of the HL-10, 103; "inspection" of M2-F2, 111, 114-115; adapter for B-52, 112; help with Hyper 111, 162
Orahood, John, 20
P2B, 6
Painter, Weneth D., 17, 82, 83, 89, 95, 9798, 102, 117, 121, 132; insistence on further analysis of HL-10 data, 98, 100 ill.
Parameter estimation, 59
Parawing project, 159
Paresev, 16, 54-55
Partnerships, x, xii; see also Air Force Flight Test Center, Northrop, Martin, Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, Johnson Space Center
Paulson, Jack, 65, 79
Peterson, Bruce A., ix, xviii ff., 54-57, 55 ill., 57, 72, 78, 83-84, 91, 92, 96-99; on characteristics of M2-F2, 105-106; crash of M2-F2, 106-111; injuries, 107; subsequent career, 108; piloting SH-3, 163
Peterson, Bill, 161
Pilot-induced oscillation, xvii
Piloted Lowspeed Tests (PILOT), 129, 131
Pontiac tow-vehicle, 33-39
Powell, Cecil William, xviii, xxiv, 139-140, 143, 149
Precision Recovery including Maneuvering Entry (PRIME), 129-131, 140, 180, 188
Program managers, 48, 72, 76 ill., 77, 87, 92., 93 ill., 95-96, 132, 135, 136, 138, 140, 175
Pyle, Jon S., 57; report, 132
R4D Gooney Bird, xi,21, 46, 50-51, 51 ill., 54ff.
Rainey, Robert, 65, 66, 79
Rampy, John, 119, 135
Raspet, August, 12
Reaction controls, 152
Real stuff, 48
Reed, Donna (wife of Dale), vii, 15
Reed, R. Dale, vii, viii ill., xxv-xxvi, 1-3, 6, 8, 13 ill., 22, 29, 43-46, 66, 129-130, 155-161, 180 ill., 186 ill.; and genesis of lifting-body program, 11-15; as opportunist, 27; data analysis on M2-F1, 45; compliment, 49; denied Yeager's request to roll M2-F1, 57; as design engineer, 67; cost cutting, 67; concern about yaw on M2-F2, 68; heads team to write statement of work for M2-F2 and HL-10, 71-72; career decision, 77; on controllability of M2-F2, 84; steps down as lifting body project engineer, 92-93; work with remotely-piloted vehicles, 95; and idea of putting a lifting body in space, 141; report author, 188 n.
Reedy, Jerry S., 115
Reeves, John E., 83, 95
Remotely piloted vehicles, 158-159, 163-165
Research pilots, xvi ff., 25-26, 48, 135, 165; see also pilots' names
Retelle, John, 119, 135
Reusable Launch Vehicle, see X-33
Richardson, David, 132, 135
Riddle, Jack, 132
Rifenberry, John R., 162
Right Stuff, 48
Rockwell AeroSpace, 182
Rogallo Wing, 16, 159
Rogers Dry Lake, 3-5, 106; Runway 18, 52, 87, 96, 97 ill., 122; Runway 23, 124
"Root locus," 26, 31, 36-37, 113
Russell, Charles W., 95, 171
Russia, see Soviet Union
Rutan, Burt, 191
Ryan, Bertha M. 26-28, 28 ill., 36, 38, 53, 87; data analysis on M2-F1, 45, 49-50, 52, 57; work with simulator, 27, 58, 68; data analysis for M2-F2 and other vehicles, 68, 81, 84
Saltzmam, Edwin J., 57
Saturn V, 140
Scaled Composites, Inc., 191
Scobee, Francis R. ("Dick"), xvii, xviii, xxv, 177
Scott, Herbert E., 162
Separating the real from the imagined, 127
SH-3 helicopter, 159, 163-165
Shimp, Jerry, 95
Shuler, Billy B., 20, 161
Sim, Alex G., 150; report on M2-F3, 149150; and X-38, 187; report author, 188 n.
Simulators, 7, 27, 30 ill.-31, 58-59, 87, 92, 95-96, 99, 117, 119-121, 135-136; T-33A as simulator, 83; pilots relaxed in, 99; comparison of data from with wind tunnel data, 99-100, 103; F-104 as simulator for lifting bodies, 118; from analog to digital, 119-120; fast-time simulation, 120; hybrid computerization of, 120; comparison with ground cockpit for RPV, 165
Sitterle, George, 95
Six -Million-Dollar Man, The, ix, 108-109
Smith, Glynn E., 49
Smith, Harriet J., 26-27, 27 ill., 36, 38, 53; data analysis on M2-F1, 45, 49-50, 52, 57; writer of report, 58-59, 63; work with simulator, 27, 58, 68; data analysis for M2-F2 and other vehicles, 68, 84
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, 179
Sorlie, Donald M., xviii, xx, xxii, 59, 62, 83, 91
Soviet Union, 179-180, 186
Soyuz re-entry vehicle, 186
Spacecraft Technology and Advanced Reentry Tests (START), 129; Precision Recovery Including Maneuvering Entry (PRIME), 129-131; Piloted Lowspeed Tests (PILOT), 129, 131
Space Shuttle, 13 ill., 63; Enterprise, 74; approach-and-landing tests, 74; influence of lifting bodies on, 128, 142, 175; tiles, 142; Air Force requirements for, 142, 143; shown with M2-F1, 143 ill.; size and weight, 181, 182
Sparks, Ralph H., 35
Speed brakes, use on unpowered landings, 125
Spencer, Bernard, 65
Sperry Rand, 132
Stability Augmentation Systems, 80, 83, 98-99, 114, 145-148
Sterks, Pete, 12
Straup, Bill, 34
Strutz, Larry, 95
SV-5, 68, 111, 129-131; compared to M2-F3 and HL-10 130; proof that lifting bodies were maneuverable hypersonic re-entry configurations, 131
Sweetman, Bill, 184
Syvertson, Clarence, 19, 67
Szalai, Kenneth J., 189, 191
Szuwalski, Boleslaw "Bill," 144
T-33A jet trainer as simulator, 83
T-37 jet trainer as chase aircraft, 51 ill., 5152
T-38 Talon jet trainer, 116; simulating lifting bodies, 173, 175
Ta-183, 130
Taylor, Bob, 102
Taylor, Lawrence W., Jr., 25, 83; and "human transfer function," 25; and "root locus," 26, 31, 36-37; home-built wind tunnel, 58-59; parameter estimation, 59
Thiokol, Reaction Motors Division, x, xi
Thompson, Dick, 74
Thompson, Mickey, 35n.4, 38
Thompson, Milton 0., vii, xvii-xx, xix ill., 16-17, 43-45, 47-48, 54, 55 ill., 57, 5960,72, 78, 83-85,91; and X-15, Paresev, 16; and simulation, 27, 29, 51-52, 87, 89; and control system for the M2-F1, 29-31, 36-38; greatness as test pilot, 31, 89; and M2-F1 ejection-seat tests, 47; as chief engineer, 49; first air-tow of M2-F1, 50-53; author of At the Edge of Space, 53; concern about sensitivity to gusts with center fin of M2-F2, 68, 105; last lifting-body flight, 90-91; as chief of the research projects office, 90; bails out of F-104, 90-91; campaign for unpowered Shuttle landings, 128; and SV-5J, 131; and Hyper III, 159, 163-165
Tiles for re-entry, 142
Toll, Thomas A., 47; and X-15, 47, 102; and M2-F1 as not representative of a spacecraft, 48; on controllability of M2-F2, 84
Urie, David, 182, 184
Veith, Robert G., 80
Vensel, Joseph R., 46 47, 61, 83
VentureStar, 182, 184-185
Walker, Harold J., 103
Walker, Joe (guide), 4-5
Walker, Joseph A. (pilot), 4-5, 175
Webb, James E., 54
Weber Company, 46, 80
Weil, Joseph, 92, 121
White Sands rocket testing facility, 73
Whiteside, Walter W., 33-36, 38, 39
Williams, Walter C., xiv, 8
Wilson, Ronald J. "Joe," 116
Wind-tunnel data as compared with flight research data, 58-59, 62-63, 99-102, 136
Wind-tunnel vs. simulation data, 99-100, 103
Wolfe, Tom, 48
Women "computers," 7
Women engineers, 53
Wong, Thomas J., 9n.4
Wood, James W., xviii
X-1,6,7,66
X-2,6,58
X4,6
X-5, 6
X-15, xi, xiv, 24, 47, 66, 77; control room, xvi, 7-8, 50; simulator, 27; sensors, 49; parties, 53; weight, 66; speed and thrust with LR-11 engines, 66; wind-tunnel testing, 82; last flight, 123; reaction controls, 152; ablative coating, 176
X-20, see Dyna-Soar
X-23, see Precision Recovery Including Maneuvering Entry (PRIME)
X-24A lifting body, xi, xii ill., 111, 122, 131-143, 137 ill., 141; beginnings as SV-5P, 131; wind-tunnel testing, 132; team,132; delivery to Edwards, 132; problems, 133, 135; glide flights, 133-136; powered flights, 136-140; shuttlecock stability, 134 ill., 145; configuration, 134; control problems and corrections, 135-136; comparison with M2-F3 and HL-10, 136-137; designed exclusively as reentry vehicle, 138; limitations, 137-138; concerns about safety, 138-139; length of flights, 139; changes of configurations, 140; first supersonic flight, 140; total 'digits, 143; conversion to X-24B, 167 ill., 167-170; last flight, 168; fastest speed, 174.; landing lift-to-drag ratio, 175; provides shape for X-38, 188
X-24B lifting body, ix, xii ill., 167-177, 169 ill.; conversion from X-24A, 167 ill., 167-170; comparison with Hyper 111, 167; cost, 168; dimensions and shape, 167 ill., 169; components, 169-170; control surfaces, 170; main landing gear, 170; nose gear, 170; tires, 171-172; ground tests, 171-173; captive-flight test, 172-173; lengths of flights, 173; fastest, highest flights, 173; handling qualities, 173; simulating Shuttle landings, 174-175, 174 ill.; landing lift-to-drag ratio, 175; ablative coating, 176; in Air Force Museum, 177, 179
X-30, 181-182
X-33 Advanced Technology Demonstrator, 182-185, 183 ill.
X-38 Technology Demonstrator, 186 ill., 187-191, 189 ill.; first captive flight 190 ill.; first launch, 191
XB-70, xv
XF-92, 6 XLR-11 rocket engine, see LR-11
XLR-99 rocket engine, xi
XS-1 rocket airplane, xi
Yeager, Charles E., v, xi, xvii, xvii ff., 54-57, 55 ill.; greatness as test pilot, 31; influence on X-24s, 57, 131
YF-12A ''Blackbird," 148
Zero-zero ejection seat, 46-47