|
|
| Road to Mach 10: Lessons Learned from the X-43A Flight Research Program |
|
Curtis Peebles
Library of Flight Series
Published by AIAA, © 2008, 250 pages, Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-56347-932-X
ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-932-8
|
AIAA Member Price:
$29.95
List Price:
$39.95
AIAA Members Save 25%!
|
|
|
This is the first full-length history of the X-43 project, written by the project historian at Dryden Flight Research Center. The project achieved the first in-flight testing of a scramjet engine, at speeds of nearly Mach 7 and Mach 10.
The author recorded the history as it was taking place. He received updates and documents, attended the engineering meetings, witnessed the emergency procedure training of the flight controllers, was at the flight readiness review and preflight briefings, and watched the third flight from one of the control rooms. After the third flight, he interviewed many of the X-43A engineers and managers about their still-fresh experiences and recollections.
Based on that exclusive access, the book illustrates – with real world examples – how groundbreaking technology unfolds. It details the development of the scramjet over the last half-century, providing the reader with an understanding of how external factors influence a new technology.
The book begins with the invention of the scramjet concept, and then details the projects of the 1960s through the 1980s and why they failed. It describes how the X-43 developed from these events, and follows the transformation from the original idea through hardware development and testing, the loss of the first vehicle, the return to flight, and the success of the second and third flights, and explains what was accomplished.
The book is written with the engineering student in mind, to provide an understanding of what they will experience once they join the workforce.
This volume was produced in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
About the Author:
Curtis Peebles works in the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center History Office as a contractor. An aerospace writer and historian, he is the author or co-author of fifteen books, including From Runway to Orbit and Flying Without Wings. He received a BA degree in History from Cal State Long Beach in 1985.
|
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Phoenix from the Ashes
- The March to the First Flight
- X-43A Checkout and Emergency Procedures Training
- 13.5 Seconds
- Return to Flight
- Ct > Cd
- To the Edge of the Envelope
- To the Far Horizon
|
Related External Resources:
|
Related Products:
100 Years of Flight
- Library of Flight, Hardback
Hans von Ohain
- Library of Flight, Hardback
Journey to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Guidance Computer
- Library of Flight, Paperback
Mars: Past, Present, and Future
- Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, Hardback
STOL Progenitors
- Library of Flight, Paperback
|
The Airplane
- Library of Flight, Hardback
The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines
- Library of Flight, Hardback
The Superpower Odyssey: A Russian Perspective on Space Cooperation
- Library of Flight, Paperback
When the Airlines Went to War
- Library of Flight, Hardback
Centennial of Powered Flight
- Library of Flight, Hardback
|
|
|
)
