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| From Archangel to Senior Crown: Design and Development of the Blackbird |
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Peter W. Merlin, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center History Office
Library of Flight Series
Published by AIAA, © 2008, 204 pages, Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-56347-933-8
ISBN-13: 978-1-56347-933-5
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AIAA Member Price:
$29.95
List Price:
$39.95
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The Lockheed Blackbirds hold a unique place in the development of aeronautics. In their day, the A-12, YF-12, M-21, D-21, and SR-71 variants outperformed all other jet airplanes in terms of altitude and speed. Now retired, they remain the only production aircraft capable of sustained Mach 3 cruise and operational altitudes above 80,000 feet.
This is the first book to address the technical aspects of these incredible aircraft. The author describes the design evolution of the Blackbird, from the Archangel to the Senior Crown (the Air Force’s SR-71). He describes in detail the construction and materials challenges faced by Lockheed, as well as the Blackbird’s performance characteristics and capabilities.
A NASA historian, the author describes NASA’s role in using the aircraft as a flying laboratory to collect data on materials, structures, loads, heating, aerodynamics, and performance for high-speed aircraft. The reader will benefit from the book’s discussion of the technical and programmatic lessons learned.
This volume was produced in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
About the Author:
Peter W. Merlin is an archivist and historian in the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center History Office under contract to Analytical Services & Materials, Inc. He is the author of Mach 3+: NASA/USAF YF-12 Flight Research, 1969-1979 (NASA SP-2001-4525) and the co-author of Donald L. Mallick’s autobiography The Smell of Kerosene: A Test Pilot’s Odyssey (NASA SP-2003-4108).
Merlin has published numerous articles in a variety of periodicals, covering subjects from aerospace history to nuclear weapon accidents. He has also appeared on such television programs as Man, Moment, Machine: Shot Down—The U-2 Spy Plane; Modern Marvels: Edwards Air Force Base; Inside Area 51, UFO: Down to Earth—Retrieval; and more. A founding member of the X-Hunters Aerospace Archeology Team, he also specializes in recovering relics of crashed experimental aircraft from the deserts of the western United States.
Merlin was born in Hollywood, California. He received his B.S. in aeronautical studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He joined the Dryden History Office in 1997. He occasionally lectures on aerospace history and prehistoric archeology.
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Table of Contents:
- List of Figures
- List of Acronyms and Symbols
- Blackbird: A Technological Case Study
- Form Follows Function: Design Evolution of the Blackbird
- Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Construction and Materials
- Above and Beyond: Blackbird Performance Characteristics
- A Unique Research Tool: NASA's Mach 3 Flying Laboratory
- Lessons Learned
- Appendix A: Blackbird Production Summary
- Appendix B: Blackbird Timeline
- References
- Index
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