X-15 FLIGHT REQUEST

Flight No.: 3-38-61 Scheduled Date: December 17, 1964

Pilot: Major Robert Rushworth

Purpose: To obtain data for the following programs:
 

1. Skin Friction - (Darwin Garringer)

2. Test of General Electric Ablative Material - (Joe Watts)

3. Non-uniform, 3-dimensional Flow Field Measurements - (Bob Quinn & Murray Palitz)

4. Landing Gear Door Modification Checkout - (Dick Rosecrans)

5. Boundary layer noise - (Tom Lewis)


Instrumentation Engineer: Febo Bartoli

Launch: Hidden Hills on a magnetic heading of 230°, MH-96 Adaptive, R.C. "OFF," BCS "OFF," heading vernier to "Standby," ventral off.

Launch point coordinates: 35° 57' N, 115° 40' W.
 
 
 No. Time  Alt  V   a q            Event
             
1. 0 45 790 2 145 Launch, light engine, increase to 100%T. Rotate at 10° a until q = 20°.
             
2. 18 46 1550 10 620 q = 20° - Maintain q = 20°.
             
3. 44 60 2750 4 850 Pushover to 0 "g."
             
4. 70 77 4500 0 1020 Reduce to minimum thrust.
             
5. 74 78 4700 0 1050 Modulate speed brakes (» 35°) to maintain slow longitudinal acceleration.
             
6. 77 78 4800 0 1100 H dot » +100 fps - increase a to » 3° to maintain H dot » 50 fps (q constant at » 1100 psf).
             
7. 101 81 5180 3 1100 Burnout - Retract speed brakes, pushover to » 0° a, set up rate of descent of » 200 fps to maintain q constant at » 1050 psf.
             
8. 150 74 4200 3 1050 Extend speed brakes to 35°, increase rate of descent to » 400 fps, maintain q constant at » 1050 psf.
             
9. 160 70 3800 3 1050 Cuddeback - maintain q constant at » 1050 psf.
             
10. 175 59 3000 3 1050 Vector to High Key (y » 190°). Speed brakes as required. Engine Master "OFF."
             
11.           High Key - check flap and "Squat" circuit breakers in. Exp. Switch "OFF."
             
12.           Before APU shutdown, cycle flaps, set stabilizer trim to zero, data "Off."

 

Notes:

1. q vernier will be set at 20°, a cross-pointer null at 0°.

2. Emergency lakes: Cuddeback.

3. Flight duration: Approximately 7 minutes.

4. Flight plan based on 58,800lb thrust - Engine #106.

Minimum thrust = 29,000lb

Total burn time at 100% = 86 sec.

Launch Wt. = 33,750lb Burnout Wt. = 15,550lb
 

 Ground Rules For No Launch:
  1. Radio, Radar, or TM malfunction.

2. FCS malfunctions as indicated on Analyzer check list.

3. Malfunction of Ball Nose.

4. Malfunction of inertial platform.
 

 Alternate Situations After Launch:
  Failure   Action
       
1. Radio or Radar   Proceed as planned.
       
2. Total Pitch/Roll Damper   Turn Yaw OFF, maintain a > 0. Shutdown at 4500 fps, vector to High Key.
       
3. Total Yaw Damper

Fixed Gain in any axis

   Proceed as planned.
       
4. Attitude   Proceed as planned except use 4.5° a in place of 20° q at 20 seconds.
       
5. Ball Nose   Heading vernier to ·y, proceed, use 1.6 g for rotation.
       
6. Delayed engine light   Pushover to 0 "g" at H = 58,000 ft.

 

7. Inadvertent engine shutdown:

0 - 47 sec Hidden Hills

47 - 53 sec Cuddeback (2900 fps)

53 - Up sec Edwards (3300 fps)