X-15 FLIGHT PLAN

June 20, 1968

Flight No.: 1-78-137 Scheduled Date : July 3, 1968

Pilot: Major William J. Knight

Purpose : 1. WTR Experiment (20) - Parish

2. Horizon Scanner (17) - Parish

3. Sky Brightness (19) - Parish

4. Fluidic Probe - Bogue

5. Fixed Alpha Ball (31) - Bogue

Flight Planning Engineer: J. Kolf

Research Project Engineer: O. Parish

Operations Engineer: V. Capasso

Instrumentation Engineer: D. Yount

 Launch: Railroad Valley #2 on a magnetic heading of 183°.

SAS Hi-Lo-Hi (8-4-8), YAR "OFF," Pitch-Roll and Yaw ASAS "OFF,"

Both BCS "ON," RAS "OFF," Auto-Cutoff "OFF," Ventral "OFF."

Launch Point Coordinates: 38° 13.4' N, 116° 10.7' W
 
 No. Time Alt Vel a q  Event
             
1. 0 45 790 2 145 Launch, light engine at 100% T. Rotate at a = 11° until q = 40°.
             
2. 32 53 1900 11 570 q = 40°. Maintain q = 40° until shutdown.
             
3. 83 143 4950 9 58 Shutdown. Pushover to a = 0° and maintain a = 0° until peak altitude. Turn RAS "ON," Auto cutoff "ON." 
             
4. 109 200 4550 0 6 WTR experiment switch to "UP."
             
5. 166 250 4200 0 .7 Peak altitude. Maintain attitudes at 0° (±2°) until a = 22°.
             
6. 194 240 4300 »11 1 WTR experiment switch to "DOWN."
             
7. 220 207 4500 22 5 a = 22°. Maintain a = 22° until An = 5g. Maintain An = 5g until Hdot » -300 fps.
             
8. 286 74 3650 17 770 Hdot = -300 fps. Pushover to maintain Hdot = -400 fps. Begin turn to » 200°. Open speed brakes to 35°.
             
9. 315 70 3000 6 630 Cuddeback. Vector to Hi-Key. Speed brakes as required.
             
10.           High Key - Check flap and squat circuit breakers in. Arm stick kicker and third skid. Engine Master Off. Window shade down.

NOTES:

1. q vernier will be set at 40°, a crosspointer will null at 22°.

2. Emergency Lakes: Mud, Grapevine, Ballarat, Cuddeback.

3. Flight Duration: Approximately 10 minutes.

4. Flight plan based on 58,000# thrust at 100%. Engine #104.

Total burn time at 100% T = 85.6 sec.

 Launch wt = 34,809 Shutdown Wt = 16,790# Landing wt = 16,054#

CG = 19.7 CG = 15.7 CG = 14.6

5. In-Flight jettison check. (Accounted for in wts. and burn time.)

6. Precision attitudes pre-set: Pitch = 0° (90.0)

Roll = 0° (90.0)

Heading = 183°

7. Controlled launch time.

 GROUND RULES FOR NO LAUNCH: 1. Radio, Radar or TM malfunction.

2. Malfunction of any SAS channel or P-R ASAS.

3. Malfunction of inertial platform.

4. Malfunction of ball nose.

5. Malfunction of either BCS.
 
 

 ALTERNATE SITUATIONS AFTER LAUNCH:
 
 
Failure
  
Action
       
1. Radio or Radar 1. Proceed as planned.
       
2. Any Damper failure

(except Yaw ASAS)

 2a. 0 - 35 sec.

Engage ASAS. Pushover to a = 2° at 35 sec. S.D. at 4950 fps. (Hmax = 150K). Fly a = 15° until Hdot = -100 fps, then maintain Hdot = -100 fps to 50 N.M. (M = 3.5, h = 80K)
       
    2b. 35 sec. to shutdown

Engage ASAS. Pushover to a = 2° and shutdown at V = 4950 fps. Use a = 15° if reentry is required. (Do not extend exp.).
       
    2c. After Shutdown

Engage ASAS. Re-enter at a = 15°. (Do not extend exp.).
       
3. Ball Nose Failure  3a. 0 - 35 sec.

Pushover to 0g at 35 sec. and shutdown at V = 4950 fps. (Hmax = 130K). Fly a = 15° until Hdot = -200 fps, then maintain Hdot = -200 fps to 50 N.M. (M = 3.4, H = 80K).
       
    3b. 35 sec. - S.D.

Pushover to 0g and shutdown at V = 4950 fps. Use q = 0° to -5° for reentry. (dHmax = 25°) Do not extend experiment.
       
    3c. After shutdown

Use q = 0° to -5° for reentry (dHmax = -25°). Do not extend experiment. 
       
4. Attitude Failure 4. Perform gradual pushover at 32 sec and proceed with 3a, b, or c as applicable (Use a in place of q for re-entry).
       
5. Inertial Failure 5. Proceed as planned. Shut down at 83 seconds.
       
6. Delayed Light 6. Rotate to ANmax = 2.5 g. Proceed as planned.
       
  INADVERTENT ENGINE SHUTDOWN:

00 - 38 sec. Railroad Valley

38 - 46.5 sec. Mud (2100 fps)

46.5 - 59.5 sec. Grapevine (2500 fps)

59.5 - 68.5 sec. Ballarat (4100 fps)

68.5 - 73 sec. Cuddeback (4600 fps)

73 - Up Edwards (4800 fps)

    

X-15 Range Requirements

X-15 Range Systems

The standard X-15 request (flight 1-74-130) applies for flight 1-78 with these additions:

1. Section 1.3

X-15 Primary (Test 1) frequency shall be 286.8 KC

X-15 Guard (Test 2) frequency shall be 279.9 KC

 X-15 On-Board Data

The standard X-15 data request (flight 1-74-130) applies with these additions:

1. Add Sky Brightness instrumentation.

2. Add Fluidic Probe.

3. Add Forward Looking Camera.
 
 

James R. Welsh, Head X-15 Research Projects Office