X-15 OPERATIONS FLIGHT REPORT

FLIGHT NO: 2-42-74 DATE OF REPORT: September 9, 1965

PILOT: John B. McKay DATE OF FLIGHT: September 2, 1965

CARRIER AIRCRAFT: B-52 #008 LAUNCH LAKE: Delamar

ENGINE: S/N 104 APU #1 25 AN APU #2 22AN

PURPOSE OF FLIGHT: (1) RAS Checkout

(2) Star Tracker

(3) Pilot Altitude Buildup

I. Discussion of Previous Operations

A. With reference to previous comments on RAS performance, this system was examined very carefully on this flight. Data indicates that the RAS worked very well, all Pitch, Roll and Yaw rates being within specified limits for this system. Pitch control was within .3 degree/sec, instead of the nominal .5 degree/sec, resulting in usage of somewhat more H202 than normal. Some adjustment of the threshold value for Pitch RAS may be desirable. II. Configuration Changes A. Landing gear instrumentation was updated to delete items no longer of interest. (Ref: Memo A. Vano, 7/26/65). III. Preflight Events A. The basic structure of the X-15 was X-ray inspected at the Air Force X-ray Facility. No flaws were noted.

B. A crack in one of the injector spuds of engine #103 resulted in rejection and removal of that engine and replacement with engine S/N 104.

C. Three control boxes were rejected from engine S/N 104 during functional testing of that engine.

D. Final engine preflight ground run was completed on Tuesday, August 31, 1965.

E. Failure to secure an LN2 line resulted in drenching #l APU with LN2. As a precaution this APU (S/N 7AN) was replaced with 25AN.

F. The X-15-2 was mated on Wednesday, September 1, 1965.

IV. Flight Events A. Flight 2-42-74 was accomplished on Thursday, September 2, 1965. Servicing was normal except for leakage of NH3 from the closed jettison valve after the ground jettison check. It was decided that the magnitude of this leakage would not affect the planned engine burn time (82 seconds). In the future the jettison check will be made with X-15 in a slight nose-up attitude to eliminate the trapping of NH3 in the jettison line. It is expected that this will minimize the chilling of the NH3 jettison valve.

No squawks resulted from the flight. All systems operated normally.

Approve By: Prepared by:

Perry V. Row William P. Albrecht

X-15 Senior Project Engineer X-15 Project Engineer