The SR-71 Test Bed Aircraft: A Facility for High-Speed Flight Research
Corda, Stephen and Moes, Timothy R. and Mizukami, Masashi and Hass, Neal E. and Jones, Daniel and Monaghan, Richard C. and Ray, Ronald J. and Jarvis, Michele L. and Palumbo, Nathan (2000) The SR-71 Test Bed Aircraft: A Facility for High-Speed Flight Research. Technical Report NASA/TP-2000-209023, Research Engineering, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.
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Abstract
The SR-71 test bed aircraft is shown to be a unique platform to flight-test large experiments to supersonic Mach numbers. The test bed hardware mounted on the SR-71 upper fuselage is described. This test bed hardware is composed of a fairing structure called the “canoe” and a large “reflection plane” flat plate for mounting experiments. Total experiment weights, including the canoe and reflection plane, as heavy as 14,500 lb can be mounted on the aircraft and flight-tested to speeds as fast as Mach 3.2 and altitudes as high as 80,000 ft. A brief description of the SR-71 aircraft is given, including details of the structural modifications to the fuselage, modifications to the J58 engines to provide increased thrust, and the addition of a research instrumentation system. Information is presented based on flight data that describes the SR-71 test bed aerodynamics, stability and control, structural and thermal loads, the canoe internal environment, and reflection plane flow quality. Guidelines for designing SR-71 test bed experiments are also provided.
| EPrint Type: | NASA Technical Publication |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Flight test, SR-71 aerodynamics, SR-71 aircraft, SR-71 stability and control, SR-71 upper fuselage flow field, Test bed aircraft |
| Subjects: | (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (07) Aircraft Propulsion And Power (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (05) Aircraft Design, Testing And Performance (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (02) Aerodynamics Aircraft/Project: SR-71 Blackbird (01 - 09) Aeronautics: (08) Aircraft Stability And Control |
| ID Code: | 74 |
| Deposited On: | 10 June 2004 |
| Additional Information: | 38 pages. |
