NTRS Link	EL-2002-00453
Title:	Paraglider - test of Paresev I-A Rogallo
Online Source:	http://lisar.larc.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/EL-2002-00453.jpeg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1964
Document ID:	EL-2002-00453
Accession Number:	EL-2002-00453
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Test of Paresev I-A Rogallo research vehicle in the Full Scale wind tunnel. Richard P. Hallion wrote: 'The best way to acquire ... experience, of course, was by building and flying a Parawing. Two who actively favored such an approach were center research pilots Neil Armstrong and Milt Thompson. they approached Paul Bikle, who liked the idea, but recognized that both pilots had heavy Dyna-Soar commitments; FRC could not spare their services elsewhere, even to a project as interesting as the proposed Parawing. Instead, Bikle called in a group of center engineers under the direction of Charles Richards, a team composed of Richard Klein, Vic Horton, Gary Layton, and Joe Wilson. Bilke's instructions were characteristically short and to the point: build a single-seat Paraglider and *do it quick and cheap.' All this took place just before Christmas 1961. The team, now totaling nine engineers and technicians, set to work on this *Paraglider Research Vehicle,' conveniently abbreviated Paresev. Seven weeks later, after expending $4280 on construction and materials, the team rolled out the Paresev I. It resembled a grown-up tricycle, with a rudimentary seat, an angled tripod mast, and perched on top of the mast, a 14-square-meter Rogallo-type parawing. The vehicle weighed 272 kilograms, had a height of over 3.4 meters, and a length of 4.5 meters. The pilot sat out in the open, strapped in the seat, with no enclosure of any kind. He controlled the descent rate by tilting the wing fore and aft, and turned by tilting the wing from side to side. NASA registered the Paresev, the first NASA research airplane to be constructed totally *in-house,' with the Federal Aviation Administration on 12 February 1962. Flight testing started immediately.' Published in James R. Hansen, Spaceflight Revolution: NASA Langley Research Center From Sputnik to Apollo, NASA SP-4308, pp. 380-387; Richard P. Hallion, On the Frontier: Flight Research at Dryden, 1946-1981, NASA SP-4303, pp. 138-139.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Jul 28, 2006
NTRS Link	GPN-2000-000212
Title:	Paresev 1-B in Tow Flight
Online Source:	http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000212.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1964
Document ID:	GPN-2000-000212
Accession Number:	GPN-2000-000212
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	The Paresev experimental aircraft. A normal flight was a takeoff on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base and a circling flight path skirting the lake edges to insure a landing on the lakebed in the event of a towline failure. Release altitude was normally 10,000 to 13,000 feet. Data was obtained on the glide part of the flight. By maintaining simplicity during construction, it was possible to make control and configuration changes overnight and in many instances, in minutes.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Sep 15, 2006
NTRS Link	EM-0022-01
Title:	Paresev in flight with pilot Milt Thompson
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/movie/Paresev/Small/EM-0022-01.mov
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1964
Document ID:	EM-0022-01
Accession Number:	EM-0022-01
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	This movie clip runs 37 seconds in length and begins with a shot from the chase plane of NASA Dryden test pilot Milt Thompson at the controls of the Paresev, then the onboard view from the pilot's seat and finally bringing the Paresev in for a landing on the dry lakebed at Edwards AFB. The Paresev (Paraglider Rescue Vehicle) was an indirect outgrowth of kite-parachute studies by NACA Langley engineer Francis M. Rogallo. In early 1960's the 'Rogallo wing' seemed an excellent means of returning a spacecraft to Earth. The delta wing design was patented by Mr. Rogallo. In May 1961, Robert R. Gilruth, director of the NASA Space Task Group, requested studies of an inflatable Rogallo-type 'Parawing' for spacecraft. Several companies responded; North American Aviation, Downey, California, produced the most acceptable concept and development was contracted to that company. In November 1961 NASA Headquarters launched a paraglider development program, with Langley doing wind tunnel studies and the NASA Flight Research Center supporting the North American test program. The North American concept was a capsule-type vehicle with a stowed 'parawing' that could be deployed and controlled from within for a landing more like an airplane instead of a 'splash down' in the ocean. The logistics became enormous and the price exorbitant, plus NASA pilots and engineers felt some baseline experience like building a vehicle and flying a Parawing should be accomplished first. The Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) was used to gain in-flight experience with four different membranes (wings), and was not used to develop the more complicated inflatable deployment system. The Paresev was designed by Charles Richard, of the Flight Research Center Vehicle and System Dynamics Branch, with the rest of the team being: engineers, Richard Klein, Gary Layton, John Orahood, and Joe Wilson; from the Maintenance and Manufacturing Branch: Frank Fedor, LeRoy Barto; Victor Horton as Project Manager, with Gary Layton becoming Project Manager later on in the program. Mr. Paul Bikle, Director of the Center, gave instructions that were short and to the point: build a single-seat Paraglider and 'do it quick and cheap.' The Paresev was unpowered, the 'fuselage,' an open framework fabricated of welded 4130 steel tubing, was referred to as a `space frame.' The keel and leading edges of the wings were constructed of 2 1/2-inch diameter aluminum tubing. The leading edge sweep angle was held constant at 50 degrees by a rigid spreader bar. Additional wing structure fabricated of steel tubing ensured structural integrity. Seven weeks after the project was initiated the team rolled out the Paresev 1. It resembled a grown-up tricycle, with a rudimentary seat, an angled tripod mast, and, perched on top of the mast, a Rogallo-type parawing. The pilot sat out in the open, strapped in the seat, with no enclosure of any kind. He controlled the descent rate by tilting the wing fore and aft, and turned by tilting the wing from side to side with a control stick that came from overhead. NASA registered the Paresev, the first NASA research airplane to be constructed totally 'in-house,' with the Federal Aviation Administration on February 12, 1962. Flight testing started immediately. There was one space frame built called the Paresev that used four different wing types. Paresev 1 had a linen membrane, with the control stick coming from overhead in front of the pilots seat. Paresev 1A had a regulation control stick and a Dacron membrane. Paresev 1B had a smaller Dacron membrane with the space frame remaining the same. Paresev 1C used a half-scale version of the inflatable Gemini parawing with a small change to the space frame. All 'space frames,' regardless of the parawing configuration, had a shield with 'Paresev 1-A' and the NASA meatball on the front of the vehicle. After the space frame was completed a sailmaker was asked to sew the wing membrane according to the planform developed by NASA Flight Research Center personnel. He suggested using Dacron instead of the linen fabric chosen, but yielded to the engineer's specifications. A nylon bolt rope was attached in the trailing edge of the 150-square-foot wing membrane. The rope was unrestrained except at the wing tips and was therefore free to equalize the load between the two lobes of the wing. This worked reasonably well, but flight tests proved the wing to be too flexible with it flapping and bulging in alarming ways. The poor membrane design led to trailing edge flutter, with longitudinal and lateral stick forces being severe. A number of different rigging modifications to improve the flying characteristics were tried, but very few were successful and none were predictable. Everything seemed to affect stick forces in the worst way. The fifth flight aloft lasted 10 seconds. On a ground tow the Paresev and pilot fell 10 feet. Considerable damage was done to the Paresev with the pilot, Bruce Peterson, being taken to the base hospital. Injuries sustained by the pilot were not serious. After this accident the Paresev was extensively rebuilt and renamed, Paresev-1A. <b>PARESEV 1-A</b> The sailmaker was asked again to construct a 150-square-foot membrane the way he wanted to. The resulting wing membrane had excellent contours in flight and was made from 6-ounce Dacron. The space frame was rebuilt with more sophistication than the Paresev 1 had been. The shock absorbers were Ford automotive parts, the wing universal joint was a 1948 Pontiac part, and the tires and wheels were from a Cessna 175 aircraft. The overhead stick was replaced with a stick and pulley arrangement that operated more like conventional aircraft controls. This vehicle had much improved stick forces and handling qualities. The instrumentation used to obtain data was quite crude, partially as a result of the desire to keep the program simple and low in cost and also because there was no onboard power. To measure performance, technicians installed a large alpha vane on the wing apex with a scale at the trailing edge that the pilot could read directly. A curved bubble level measured the vehicle attitude, and a Fairchild camera recorded the glide slope. <b>PARESEV 1-B</b> The Paresev 1-B used the Paresev 1-A space frame with a smaller Dacron wing (100 square feet) and was flight tested to evaluate its handling qualities with lower lift-to-drag values. One project NASA engineer described its gliding ability as 'pretty scary.' <b>PARESEV 1-C</b> The space frame of this vehicle remained almost unchanged from the earlier vehicles. However, a new control box gave the pilot the ability to increase or decrease the nitrogen in the inflatable wing supports to compensate for the changing density of the air. Two bottles of nitrogen provided an extra supply of nitrogen. The vehicle featured an inflatable wing. Actually the whole wing was not inflatable; the three chambers that acted as spars and supported the wing inflated. The center spar ran fore and aft and measured 191 inches; two other inflatable spars formed the leading edges. These three compartments were filled with nitrogen under pressure to make them rigid. The Paresev in this configuration was expected to closely approximate the aerodynamic characteristics that would be encountered with the Gemini space capsule, only with a parawing extended. The Paresev was very unstable in flight with this configuration. The first Paresev flights began with tows across the dry lakebed, in 1962, using a NASA vehicle, an International Harvester carry-all (6 cylinder). Eventually ground and airtows were done using a Stearman sport biplane (450 horsepower), a Piper Super Cub (150-180 horsepower), Cessna L-19 (200 horsepower Bird Dog) and a Boeing-Vertol HC-1A. Speed range of the Paresev was about 35 to 65 miles per hour. The Paresev completed nearly 350 flights during a research program from 1962 until 1964. Pilots flying the Paresev included NASA pilots Milton Thompson, Bruce Peterson, and Neil Armstrong from Dryden, Robert Champine from Langley, and Gus Grissom, astronaut, plus North American test pilot Charles Hetzel. The Paresev was legally transferred to the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. Despite its looks, the Paresev was a useful research aircraft that helped develop a new way to fly. Although the Rogallo wing was never used on a spacecraft, it revolutionized the sport of hang gliding, and a different but related kind of wing will be used on the X-38 technology demonstrator for a crew return vehicle from the International Space Station.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	ECN-438
Title:	Paresev 1-B in flight with tow cable
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/ECN-438.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1964
Document ID:	ECN-438
Accession Number:	ECN-438
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	The Paresev 1-B tested the concept of a paraglider, designed to enable a Gemini capsule to fly to a controlled ground landing. This would remove the need to make an ocean splashdown at the end of a spaceflight. Once the paraglider was deployed, the Gemini crew could use it to steer toward a touchdown point and to land on three retractable skids. Because the paraglider represented an unproved technology, approval was given to build a simple test vehicle to try out the concept. The paraglider research vehicle, or Paresev, was built of steel tubing, with a fabric paraglider. The Paresev was unpowered, so it had to be towed aloft either by ground vehicles or aircraft, such as a biplane or a light aircraft. The Paresev was a demanding aircraft to fly. Milt Thompson said that he found it more difficult to handle than the later lifting bodies. Due to technical and cost problems, the Gemini spacecraft never used the paraglider, and all missions made ocean splashdowns.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	GPN-2000-000220
Title:	Paresev 1-C Inflatable Wing
Online Source:	http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000220.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	GPN-2000-000220
Accession Number:	GPN-2000-000220
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Aboard a truck and ready for a test flight is the Paresev 1-C on the ramp at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The half-scale version of the inflatable Gemini parawing was pre-flighted by being carried across the Rosamond dry lakebed on the back of a truck before a tow behind an International Harvester Carry- All. The inflatable center spar ran fore and aft and measured 191 inches, two other inflatable spars formed the leading edges. The three compartments were filled with nitrogen under pressure to make them rigid. The Paresev 1-C was very unstable in flight with this configuration.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Sep 15, 2006
NTRS Link	E-10598
Title:	M2-F1 lifting body and Paresev 1B on ramp
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Fleet/Small/E-10598.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	E-10598
Accession Number:	E-10598
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	In this photo of the M2-F1 lifting body and the Paresev 1B on the ramp, the viewer sees two vehicles representing different approaches to building a research craft to simulate a spacecraft able to land on the ground instead of splashing down in the ocean as the Mercury capsules did. The M2-F1 was a lifting body, a shape able to re-enter from orbit and land. The Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) used a Rogallo wing that could be (but never was) used to replace a conventional parachute for landing a capsule-type spacecraft, allowing it to make a controlled landing on the ground. The wingless, lifting body aircraft design was initially conceived as a means of landing an aircraft horizontally after atmospheric reentry. The absence of wings would make the extreme heat of re-entry less damaging to the vehicle. In 1962, Dryden management approved a program to build a lightweight, unpowered lifting body as a prototype to flight test the wingless concept. It would look like a 'flying bathtub,' and was designated the M2-F1, the 'M' referring to 'manned' and 'F' referring to 'flight' version. It featured a plywood shell placed over a tubular steel frame crafted at Dryden. Construction was completed in 1963. The first flight tests of the M2-F1 were over Rogers Dry Lake at the end of a tow rope attached to a hopped-up Pontiac convertible driven at speeds up to about 120 mph. This vehicle needed to be able to tow the M2-F1 on the Rogers Dry Lakebed adjacent to NASA's Flight Research Center (FRC) at a minimum speed of 100 miles per hour. To do that, it had to handle the 400-pound pull of the M2-F1. Walter 'Whitey' Whiteside, who was a retired Air Force maintenance officer working in the FRC's Flight Operations Division, was a dirt-bike rider and hot-rodder. Together with Boyden 'Bud' Bearce in the Procurement and Supply Branch of the FRC, Whitey acquired a Pontiac Catalina convertible with the largest engine available. He took the car to Bill Straup's renowned hot-rod shop near Long Beach for modification. With a special gearbox and racing slicks, the Pontiac could tow the 1,000-pound M2-F1 110 miles per hour in 30 seconds. It proved adequate for the roughly 400 car tows that got the M2-F1 airborne to prove it could fly safely and to train pilots before they were towed behind a C-47 aircraft and released. These initial car-tow tests produced enough flight data about the M2-F1 to proceed with flights behind the C-47 tow plane at greater altitudes. The C-47 took the craft to an altitude of 12,000 where free flights back to Rogers Dry Lake began. Pilot for the first series of flights of the M2-F1 was NASA research pilot Milt Thompson. Typical glide flights with the M2-F1 lasted about two minutes and reached speeds of 110 to l20 mph. A small solid landing rocket, referred to as the 'instant L/D rocket,' was installed in the rear base of the M2-F1. This rocket, which could be ignited by the pilot, provided about 250 pounds of thrust for about 10 seconds. The rocket could be used to extend the flight time near landing if needed. More than 400 ground tows and 77 aircraft tow flights were carried out with the M2-F1. The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers--the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation, and the U.S. Air Force's X-24 program, with an X-24A and -B built by Martin. The Lifting Body program also heavily influenced the Space Shuttle program. The M2-F1 program demonstrated the feasibility of the lifting body concept for horizontal landings of atmospheric entry vehicles. It also demonstrated a procurement and management concept for prototype flight test vehicles that produced rapid results at very low cost (approximately $50,000, excluding salaries of government employees assigned to the project). The Paresev (Paraglider Rescue Vehicle) was an indirect outgrowth of kite-parachute studies by NACA Langley engineer Francis M. Rogallo. In the early 1960s the 'Rogallo wing' seemed an excellent means of returning a spacecraft to Earth. The delta wing design was patented by Mr. Rogallo. In May 1961, Robert R. Gilruth, director NASA's Space Task Group, requested studies of an inflatable Rogallo-type 'Parawing' for spacecraft. Several companies responded; North American Aviation produced the most acceptable concept and development was contracted to that company. In November 1961 NASA Headquarters launched a paraglider development program, with Langely doing wind-tunnel studies and the NASA Flight Research Center supporting the North American test program. The North American concept was a capsule type vehicle with a stowed 'parawing' that could be deployed and controlled from within for a landing more like an airplane instead of a 'splash down' in the ocean as was the practice in the Mercury and later the Gemini and Apollo programs. The logistics became enormous and the price exorbitant, besides which, NASA pilots and engineers felt some baseline experience like building a vehicle and flying a Parawing should be accomplished first. The Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) was used to gain in-flight experience with four different membranes (wings) and was not used to develop the more complicated inflatable deployment system. The Paresev was designed by Charles Richard, of the Flight Research Center's Vehicle and System Dynamics Branch, with the rest of the team being: engineers Richard Klein, Gary Layton, John Orahood, and Joe Wilson; Frank Fedor and LeRoy Barto from the Maintenance and Manufacturing Branch; Project Manager Victor Horton, with Gary Layton becoming Project Manager later on in the Program. Mr. Paul Bikle, Director of the Center, gave instructions that were short and to the point: build a single-seat Paraglider and 'do it quick and cheap.' The Paresev was unpowered, the 'fuselage' an open framework fabricated of welded 4130 steel tubing referred to as a `space frame.' The keel and leading edges of the wings were constructed of 2 1/2-inch diameter aluminum tubing. The leading edge sweep angle was held constant at 50 degrees by a rigid spreader bar. Additional wing structure fabricated of steel tubing ensured structural integrity. Seven weeks after the project was initiated the team rolled out the Paresev 1. It resembled a grown-up tricycle, with a rudimentary seat, an angled tripod mast, and, perched on top of the mast, a Rogallo-type parawing. The pilot sat out in the open, strapped in the seat, with no enclosure of any kind. He controlled the descent rate by tilting the wing fore and aft, and turned by tilting the wing from side to side with a control stick that came from overhead. NASA registered the Paresev, the first NASA research airplane to be constructed totally 'in-house,' with the Federal Aviation Administration on February 12, 1962. Flight testing started immediately. There was one space frame built called the Paresev that used four different wing types. Paresev 1 had a linen membrane, with the control stick coming from overhead in front of the pilots seat. Paresev 1A had a regulation control stick and a Dacron membrane. Paresev 1B had a smaller Dacron membrane with the space frame remaining the same. Paresev 1C used a half-scale version of the inflatable Gemini parawing with a small change to the space frame. All `space frames,' regardless of the parawing configuration, had a shield with 'Paresev 1-A' and the NASA meatball on the front of the vehicle. PARESEV-1 After the space frame was completed a sailmaker was asked to sew the wing membrane according to the planform developed by NASA Flight Research Center personnel. He suggested using Dacron instead of the linen fabric chosen, but yielded to the engineers' specs. A nylon bolt rope was attached in the trailing edge of the 150-square-foot wing membrane. The rope was unrestrained except at the wing tips and was therefore free to equalize the load between the two lobes of the wing. This worked reasonably well, but flight tests proved the wing to be too flexible with it flapping and bulging in alarming ways. The poor membrane design led to trailing edge flutter, with longitudinal and lateral stick forces being severe. A number of different rigging modifications to improve the flying characteristics were tried, but very few were successful and none were predictable. Everything seemed to affect stick forces in the worst way. The fifth flight aloft lasted 10 seconds. On a ground tow the Paresev and pilot fell 10 feet. Considerable damage was done to the Paresev with the pilot, Bruce Peterson, being taken to the base hospital. Injuries sustained by the pilot were not serious. After this accident the Paresev was extensively rebuilt and renamed, Paresev-1A. PARESEV 1-A The sailmaker was asked again to construct a 150-square-foot membrane the way he wanted to. The resulting wing membrane had excellent contours in flight and was made from 6 ounce Dacron. The space frame was rebuilt with more sophistication than the Paresev 1 had. The shock absorbers were Ford automotive parts, the wing universal joint was a 1948 Pontiac part, and the tires and wheels were from a Cessna 175 aircraft. The overhead stick was replaced with a stick and pulley arrangement that operated more like conventional aircraft controls. This vehicle had much improved stick forces and handling qualities. The instrumentation used to obtain data was quite crude, partially as a result of the desire to keep the program simple and low in cost and also because there was no onboard power. To measure performance, technicians installed a large alpha vane on the wing apex with a scale at the trailing edge that the pilot could read directly. A curved bubble level measured the vehicle's attitude, and a Fairchild camera recorded the glide slope PARESEV 1-B The Paresev 1-B used the Paresev 1-A space frame with a smaller Dacron wing (100 square feet) and was flight tested to evaluate its handling qualities with lower lift-to-drag values. One NASA project engineer described its gliding ability as 'pretty scary.' PARESEV 1-C The space frame of the vehicle remained almost unchanged from the earlier vehicles. However, a new control box gave the pilot the ability to increase or decrease the nitrogen in the inflatable wing supports to compensate for the changing density of the air. Two bottles of nitrogen provided an extra supply of nitrogen. The vehicle featured a partially inflatable wing. The whole wing was not inflatable; the three chambers that acted as spars and supported the wing inflated. The center spar ran fore and aft and measured 191 inches; two other inflatable spars formed the leading edges. These three compartments were filled with nitrogen under pressure to make them rigid. The Paresev in this configuration was expected to closely approximate the aerodynamic characteristics that would be encountered with the Gemini space capsule with a parawing extended. The Paresev was very unstable in flight with this configuration. The first Paresev flights began with tows across the dry lakebed, in 1962, using a NASA vehicle, an International Harvester carry-all (6 cylinder). Eventually ground and airtows were done using a Stearman sport biplane (450 hp), a Piper Super Cub (150-180 hp), Cessna L-19 (200 hp Bird Dog) and a Boeing-Vertol HC-1A. Speed range of the Paresev was about 35-65 mph. The Paresev completed nearly 350 flights during a research program from 1962 until 1964. Pilots flying the Paresev included NASA pilots Milton Thompson, Bruce Peterson, and Neil Armstrong from Dryden, Robert Champine from Langley, and astronaut Gus Grissom, plus North American test pilot Charles Hetzel. The Paresev was legally transferred to the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. Despite its looks, the Paresev was a useful research aircraft that helped develop a new way to fly. Although the Rogallo wing was never used on a spacecraft, it revolutionized the sport of hang gliding, and a different but related kind of wing will be used on the X-38 technology demonstrator for a crew return vehicle from the International space station.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-10355
Title:	Technicians prepare the inflatable wing on Paresev 1-C
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-10355.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	E-10355
Accession Number:	E-10355
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	This photo shows the Paresev (Paraglider Research Vehicle) space frame receiving a new wing. Frank Fedor and a technician helper are attaching a half-scale version of an inflatable wing in a hangar at NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. The Paresev in this configuration was called the 1-C and was expected to closely approximate the aerodynamic characteristics that would be encountered with the Gemini space capsule with a parawing extended. The whole wing was not inflatable; the three chambers that acted as spars and supported the wing inflated.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-10365
Title:	Paresev 1-C with inflatable wing testbed aboard a truck in preparation for flight tests
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-10365.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	E-10365
Accession Number:	E-10365
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Aboard a truck and ready for a test flight is the Paresev 1-C on the ramp at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The half-scale version of the inflatable Gemini parawing was pre-flighted by being carried across the Rosamond dry lakebed on the back of a truck before a tow behind a International Harvester Carry-All. The inflatable center spar ran fore and aft and measured 191 inches, two other inflatable spars formed the leading edges. The three compartments were filled with nitrogen under pressure to make them rigid. The Paresev 1-C was very unstable in flight with this configuration.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	GPN-2000-000118
Title:	Paresev 1-A and Tow Plane with Crew and Pilot
Online Source:	http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000118.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	GPN-2000-000118
Accession Number:	GPN-2000-000118
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	With the Paresev 1-A and the 450-hp Stearman Sport Biplane as a backdrop the pilot and crew pose for this picture in 1962. Starting at left: On the motorcycle is Walter Whiteside, in the Paresev 1-A is test pilot Milton Thompson, Frank Fedor, Richard Klein, Victor Horton, Tom Kelly, Jr., Fred Harris, owner of the Stearman, John Orahood, and Gary Layton.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Sep 15, 2006
NTRS Link	GPN-2000-000229
Title:	Paresev 1-A on Lakebed with Tow Plane
Online Source:	http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000229.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	GPN-2000-000229
Accession Number:	GPN-2000-000229
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	The Paresev 1-A (Paraglider Research Vehicle) and the tow airplane, 450-hp Stearman Sport Biplane sitting on Rogers dry lakebed, Edwards, California. The control system in the Paresev 1-A had a more conventional control stick position and was cable-operated. The main landing gear used shocks and bungees with the 150-square-foot wing membrane being made of 6-ounce unsealed Dacron.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Sep 15, 2006
NTRS Link	GPN-2000-000116
Title:	Gus Grissom & Milt Thompson With Paresev
Online Source:	http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/IMAGES/SMALL/GPN-2000-000116.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	GPN-2000-000116
Accession Number:	GPN-2000-000116
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	The Paresev 1-A standing Rogers Dry Lakebed at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Mercury Astronaut Gus Grissom is at left and NASA test pilot Milton Thompson is at right. The Paresev evaluated a potential replacement for parachutes used on spacecraft. The Paresev was steerable and was evaluated for use on the Gemini spacecraft. The idea was not workable, however.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Sep 15, 2006
NTRS Link	E-7914
Title:	Paresev on Taxi Strip
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-7914.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-7914
Accession Number:	E-7914
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Test pilot Milton Thompson sitting in NASA Flight Research Center-built Paresev 1 (Paraglider Research Vehicle) on the taxi strip in front of the NASA Flight Research Center in 1962. In this photo the control stick can be seen coming from overhead and hanging in front of the pilot. The control system was a direct link with the wing membrane made of doped Irish linen. By maintaining simplicity during construction, it was possible to make control and configuration changes overnight and, in many instances, in minutes.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-8009
Title:	Paresev 1 in Landing
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-8009.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-8009
Accession Number:	E-8009
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Pilot and Paresev 1 preparing for a landing on the Rogers dry lakebed in 1962 at Edwards Air Force Base, California. The flight program began with ground tow tests. Several tows were made before liftoff was attempted to check the control rigging and to familiarize the pilot with the vehicle's ground stability. As the pilot's confidence and experience increased, tow speeds were also increased until liftoff was attained. Liftoff was at about 40 knots indicated airspeed (kias).
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-8013
Title:	Paresev 1 in Flight on Tow
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-8013.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-8013
Accession Number:	E-8013
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Pilot with Paresev 1 (Paraglider Research Vehicle) on tow in 1962. A normal flight was a takeoff on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base and a circling flight path skirting the lake edges to insure a landing on the lakebed in the event of a towline failure. Release altitude was normally 10,000 to 13,000 feet. Data was obtained on the glide part of the flight.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-8712
Title:	Paresev 1-A on lakebed with tow plane
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-8712.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-8712
Accession Number:	E-8712
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	The Paresev 1-A (Paraglider Research Vehicle) and the tow airplane, 450-hp Stearman sport Biplane, sitting on Rogers dry lakebed, Edwards, California. The control system in the Paresev 1-A had a more conventional control stick position and was cable-operated; the main landing gear used shocks and bungees with the 150-square-foot wing membrane being made of 6-ounce unsealed Dacron.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-8937
Title:	Paresev on lakebed with Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom and Dryden test pilot Milt Thompson
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-8937.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-8937
Accession Number:	E-8937
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	NASA Flight Research Center Paresev 1-A with Mercury Astronaut Gus Grissom (left) and NASA test pilot Milton Thompson. Do you suppose they are wondering if all those clouds will mean a canceled flight?
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-8713
Title:	Paresev 1-A and tow plane with crew and pilot
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Paresev/Small/E-8713.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	E-8713
Accession Number:	E-8713
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	With the the Paresev 1-A and the 450-hp Stearman sport Biplane as a backdrop the Pilot and crew pose for this picture in 1962. Starting at left: On the motorcycle is Walter Whiteside, in the Paresev 1-A is test pilot Milton Thompson, Frank Fedor, Richard Klein, Victor Horton, Tom Kelly, Jr., Fred Harris, owner of the Stearman, John Orahood, and Gary Layton.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	EC91-524-5
Title:	Former Dryden pilot and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong being inducted into the Aerospace Walk of Hono
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Pilots/Small/EC91-524-5.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1991
Document ID:	EC91-524-5
Accession Number:	EC91-524-5
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Famed astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 space mission in July 1969, served for seven years as a research pilot at the NACA-NASA High-Speed Flight Station, now the Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards, California, before he entered the space program. Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (later NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and today the Glenn Research Center) in 1955. Later that year, he transferred to the High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards as an aeronautical research scientist and then as a pilot, a position he held until becoming an astronaut in 1962. He was one of nine NASA astronauts in the second class to be chosen. As a research pilot Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100A and F-100C aircraft, F-101, and the F-104A. He also flew the X-1B, X-5, F-105, F-106, B-47, KC-135, and Paresev. He left Dryden with a total of over 2450 flying hours. He was a member of the USAF-NASA Dyna-Soar Pilot Consultant Group before the Dyna-Soar project was cancelled, and studied X-20 Dyna-Soar approaches and abort maneuvers through use of the F-102A and F5D jet aircraft. Armstrong was actively engaged in both piloting and engineering aspects of the X-15 program from its inception. He completed the first flight in the aircraft equipped with a new flow-direction sensor (ball nose) and the initial flight in an X-15 equipped with a self-adaptive flight control system. He worked closely with designers and engineers in development of the adaptive system, and made seven flights in the rocket plane from December 1960 until July 1962. During those fights he reached a peak altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3, and a speed of 3,989 mph (Mach 5.74) in the X-15-1. Armstrong has a total of 8 days and 14 hours in space, including 2 hours and 48 minutes walking on the Moon. In March 1966 he was commander of the Gemini 8 orbital space flight with David Scott as pilot - the first successful docking of two vehicles in orbit. On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 lunar mission, he became the first human to set foot on the Moon.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	EC91-572-3
Title:	Former Dryden pilot and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Pilots/Small/EC91-572-3.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1991
Document ID:	EC91-572-3
Accession Number:	EC91-572-3
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Famed astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 space mission in July 1969, served for seven years as a research pilot at the NACA-NASA High-Speed Flight Station, now the Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards, California, before he entered the space program. Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (later NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and today the Glenn Research Center) in 1955. Later that year, he transferred to the High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards as an aeronautical research scientist and then as a pilot, a position he held until becoming an astronaut in 1962. He was one of nine NASA astronauts in the second class to be chosen. As a research pilot Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100A and F-100C aircraft, F-101, and the F-104A. He also flew the X-1B, X-5, F-105, F-106, B-47, KC-135, and Paresev. He left Dryden with a total of over 2450 flying hours. He was a member of the USAF-NASA Dyna-Soar Pilot Consultant Group before the Dyna-Soar project was cancelled, and studied X-20 Dyna-Soar approaches and abort maneuvers through use of the F-102A and F5D jet aircraft. Armstrong was actively engaged in both piloting and engineering aspects of the X-15 program from its inception. He completed the first flight in the aircraft equipped with a new flow-direction sensor (ball nose) and the initial flight in an X-15 equipped with a self-adaptive flight control system. He worked closely with designers and engineers in development of the adaptive system, and made seven flights in the rocket plane from December 1960 until July 1962. During those fights he reached a peak altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3, and a speed of 3,989 mph (Mach 5.74) in the X-15-1. Armstrong has a total of 8 days and 14 hours in space, including 2 hours and 48 minutes walking on the Moon. In March 1966 he was commander of the Gemini 8 orbital space flight with David Scott as pilot - the first successful docking of two vehicles in orbit. On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 lunar mission, he became the first human to set foot on the Moon. In this 1991 photo, he is in the cockpit of a NASA SR-71 aircraft.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-5340
Title:	Milton (Milt) O. Thompson
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Pilots/Small/E-5340.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1960
Document ID:	E-5340
Accession Number:	E-5340
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Milton O. Thompson was hired as an aeronautical research scientist at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' High-Speed Flight Station, Edwards, California, on March 19, 1956, becoming a research pilot in January 1958. During his 37-year career at what became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Dryden Flight Research Center in 1976, Milt managed several research programs and flew many research flights. One of Milt's first research projects, after he became a research pilot, was a program to investigate the feasibility of obtaining substantial amounts of laminar flow on an airfoil at supersonic speeds. The testbed aircraft was an F-104 with one wing covered with a fiberglass glove that served as the test section for the experiment. Next was the Air Launched Sounding Rocket (ALSOR) research program using an F-104 with a rocket launcher installed on it. The intent of the program was to release a balloon from an air launched rocket at over 1,000,000 feet altitude (approximately 190 miles) and then measure its rate of descent to determine air density. In 1959, Thompson was assigned to the Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar program as a pilot-consultant. The X-20 program was scheduled to launch a human into Earth orbit and recover with a horizontal ground landing. The program was canceled before construction of the vehicle began. Milt became interested in the Rogallo-wing concept, 'Parawing', for spacecraft reentry. The best way to acquire experience, of course, was by building and flying a Paraglider Research Vehicle (Paresev). After ground tows to demonstrate controllability with Milt in the cockpit, he made the first flight aloft on March 12, 1962. On August 16, 1963 Thompson became the first person to fly a lifting body, the lightweight M2-F1. The plywood and steel-tubing prototype was flown as a glider after releasing from an R4D tow plane. He flew it a total of 47 times, and also made the first five flights of the all-metal M2-F2 lifting body, beginning July 12, 1966. Thompson was one of the 12 NASA, Air Force, and Navy pilots to fly the North American X-15 rocket-powered research aircraft between 1959 and 1968. Milt's first flight was on October 29, 1963. He made a total of 14 flights during the next two years. He reached a maximum speed of 3712 mph (Mach 5.48) in the X-15-3 and a peak altitude of 214,100 feet in the X-15-1 aircraft. In January 1967, he retired from active flying and moved into the research organization's Project Sub-Division Office, becoming chief of the newly formed Research Projects Office in 1969. In this position he was responsible for all of the flight projects at the Center, which included the X-15 and the lifting bodies as well as a number of other projects. In April 1975, he became chief engineer with responsibility for the overview of all technical research activities at the Center and reported directly to the Center Director, a position he held until his death. Thompson began flying with the U.S. Navy as a pilot trainee at the age of 19. He subsequently served during World War II with duty in China and Japan. Following six years of active naval service, he entered the University of Washington, in Seattle, Wash. Milt graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He remained in the Naval Reserves during college and continued flying--not only naval aircraft but crop dusters and forest-spraying aircraft. After college graduation, Milt became a flight test engineer for the Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, where he was employed for two years before coming to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station. Thompson was a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, and received the organization's Iven C. Kincheloe trophy as the Outstanding Experimental Test Pilot of 1996 for his research flights in the M2 Lifting Bodies. He also received the 1967 Octave Chanute award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for his lifting-body research. Milt was a member of NASA's Space Transportation System Technology Steering Committee during the 1970s. In this role he was successful in leading the effort to design the Orbiters for power-off landings rather than increase weight with air-breathing engines for airliner-type landings. His committee work earned him NASA's highest award, the Distinguished Service Medal. In 1990, the National Aeronautics Association selected Thompson as one of the year's recipients of its Elder Statesman of Aviation awards. Thompson was author of several technical papers, was a member of NASA's Senior Executive Service, and received several NASA awards. Milton Orville Thompson was born May 4, 1926, in Crookston, Minnesota; he died on August 6, 1993, in Lancaster, California.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E-3342
Title:	Neil A. Armstrong
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Pilots/Small/E-3342.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1958
Document ID:	E-3342
Accession Number:	E-3342
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Neil A. Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1955. He transferred to the NACA High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in July 1955, as an aeronautical research scientist. He became a research pilot later that year. Neil was named as one of nine astronauts for NASA's Gemini and Apollo Projects, leaving the Center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas, in September 1962. Upon graduation from High School in 1947, Armstrong received a scholarship from the U.S. Navy. He enrolled at Purdue University to begin the study of aeronautical engineering. In 1949, the Navy called him to active duty and he became a navy pilot. In 1950, he was sent to Korea where he flew 78 combat missions from the carrier USS Essex in a Grumman F9F-2 Panther. He received the Air Medal and two Gold Stars. In 1952, Armstrong returned to Purdue University and graduated with a bachelors degree in aeronautical engineering in 1955. He later earned a masters degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. At the High-Speed Flight Station (which later became the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center) Armstrong served as project pilot on the North American F-100A and -C aircraft, McDonnell F-101, and the Lockheed F-104A. He also flew the Bell X-1B (4 flights, first on August 15, 1957), Bell X-5 (one flight, the last in the program, on October 25, 1955) and the Paresev. On November 30, 1960, Armstrong made his first flight in the X-15. He made a total of seven flights in the rocket plane reaching an altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3 and a Mach number of 5.74 (3,989 mph) in the X-15-1. He left the Flight Research Center with a total of 2450 flying hours in more than 50 aircraft types. He was a member of the USAF-NASA Dyna-Soar Pilot Consultant Group, and studied X-20 Dyna-Soar approaches and abort maneuvers through use of the F-102A and F5D jet aircraft. Armstrong later accumulated a total of 8 days and 14 hours in space, including 2 hours and 48 minutes walking on the Moon. In March 1966, he was commander of the Gemini 8 mission that performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. As spacecraft commander for the Apollo 11 lunar mission, on July 20, 1969, he became the first human to set foot on the Moon. In 1970 he was appointed Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics at NASA Headquarters. He resigned in 1971. Neil wrote several technical reports and presented a number of research papers. In June 1962, the Octave Chanute Award was presented to Neil by the Institute of the Aerospace Sciences. Other awards received by Neil have included the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	E56-2607
Title:	Closeup of research pilot Neil Armstrong operating the Iron Cross Attitude Simulator reaction contro
Online Source:	http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/IronCross/Small/E56-2607.jpg
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1956
Document ID:	E56-2607
Accession Number:	E56-2607
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	Famed astronaut Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon during the historic Apollo 11 space mission in July 1969, served for seven years as a research pilot at the NACA-NASA High-Speed Flight Station, now the Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards, California, before he entered the space program. Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (later NASA's Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and today the Glenn Research Center) in 1955. Later that year, he transferred to the High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards as an aeronautical research scientist and then as a pilot, a position he held until becoming an astronaut in 1962. He was one of nine NASA astronauts in the second class to be chosen. As a research pilot Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100A and F-100C aircraft, F-101, and the F-104A. He also flew the X-1B, X-5, F-105, F-106, B-47, KC-135, and Paresev. He left Dryden with a total of over 2450 flying hours. He was a member of the USAF-NASA Dyna-Soar Pilot Consultant Group before the Dyna-Soar project was cancelled, and studied X-20 Dyna-Soar approaches and abort maneuvers through use of the F-102A and F5D jet aircraft. Armstrong was actively engaged in both piloting and engineering aspects of the X-15 program from its inception. He completed the first flight in the aircraft equipped with a new flow-direction sensor (ball nose) and the initial flight in an X-15 equipped with a self-adaptive flight control system. He worked closely with designers and engineers in development of the adaptive system, and made seven flights in the rocket plane from December 1960 until July 1962. During those fights he reached a peak altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3, and a speed of 3,989 mph (Mach 5.74) in the X-15-1. Armstrong has a total of 8 days and 14 hours in space, including 2 hours and 48 minutes walking on the Moon. In March 1966 he was commander of the Gemini 8 orbital space flight with David Scott as pilot - the first successful docking of two vehicles in orbit. On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 lunar mission, he became the first human to set foot on the Moon.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 02, 2006
NTRS Link	20070023367
Title:	Six Decades of Flight Research: An Annotated Bibliography of Technical Publications of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, 1946-2006
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20070023367
Author:	Fisher, David F.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	2007
Document ID:	20070023367
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/TP-2007-213684, H-2651
Abstract:	Titles, authors, report numbers, and abstracts are given for nearly 2900 unclassified and unrestricted technical reports and papers published from September 1946 to December 2006 by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and its predecessor organizations. These technical reports and papers describe and give the results of 60 years of flight research performed by the NACA and NASA, from the X-1 and other early X-airplanes, to the X-15, Space Shuttle, X-29 Forward Swept Wing, X-31, and X-43 aircraft. Some of the other research airplanes tested were the D-558, phase 1 and 2; M-2, HL-10 and X-24 lifting bodies; Digital Fly-By-Wire and Supercritical Wing F-8; XB-70; YF-12; AFTI F-111 TACT and MAW; F-15 HiDEC; F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle, F-18 Systems Research Aircraft and the NASA Landing Systems Research aircraft. The citations of reports and papers are listed in chronological order, with author and aircraft indices. In addition, in the appendices, citations of 270 contractor reports, more than 200 UCLA Flight System Research Center reports, nearly 200 Tech Briefs, 30 Dryden Historical Publications, and over 30 videotapes are included.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Apr 24, 2012
NTRS Link	20080008340
Title:	X-15: Extending the Frontiers of Flight
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20080008340; http://www.ntis.gov/search/product.aspx?ABBR=N20080008340
Author:	Jenkins, Dennis R.
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	2007
Document ID:	20080008340
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/SP-2007-562, NASA/SP-2007-9-001-HQ
Abstract:	A history of the design and achievements of the high-speed, 1950s-era X-15 airplane is presented. The following chapters are included: A New Science; A Hypersonic Research Airplane; Conflict and Innovation; The Million-Horsepower Engine; High Range and Dry Lakes; Preparations; The Flight Program; and the Research Program. Selected biographies, flight logs and physical characteristics of the X-15 Airplane are included in the appendices.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Dec 08, 2010
NTRS Link	20000097943
Title:	Separating the from the Imagined: Flight Research at the NACA and NASA, 1915-1998
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20000097943
Author:	Gorn, Michael H.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	2000
Document ID:	20000097943
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:
Abstract:	One of the most important, but under-appreciated, aspects of the NACA/NASA mission is its aeronautical R&D efforts. Within a short time of the first flight of the Wright brothers in 1903, the United States government recognized the importance of fostering development in the new and critical field of aeronautics. NASA's predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), was chartered by Congress in 1915 specifically "to supervise and direct the scientific study of the problems of flight, with a view to their practical solution. " This became an enormously important government research and development activity for the next half century, materially enhancing the development of aeronautics 'in America. The results of the NACA's research appeared in more than 16,000 research reports of one type or another, distributed widely for the benefit of all. Many of the reports documenting R&D conducted under NACA auspices are still being used today. Since the creation of NASA in 1958, the critical R&D function has continued but is not well known. This work documents the historical R&D program of the agency by focusing on flight research.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Nov 18, 2009
NTRS Link	20010072026
Title:	Flight Research: Problems Encountered and What They Should Teach Us
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010072026
Author:	Thompson, Milton O.; Hunley, J. D.; Launius, Roger
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	2000
Document ID:	20010072026
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/SP-2000-4522, NAS 1.21:4522, LC-00-048072
Abstract:	The document by Milt Thompson that is reproduced here was an untitled rough draft found in Thompson's papers in the Dryden Historical Reference Collection. Internal evidence suggests that it was written around 1974. I have not attempted to second guess what Milt might have done in revising the paper, but I have made some minor stylistic changes to make it more readable without changing the sense of what Milt initially wrote. For the most part, I have not attempted to bring his comments up to date. For readers who may not be familiar with the history of what is today the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center and of its predecessor organizations, I have added a background section.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	May 13, 2009
NTRS Link	20010011952
Title:	Black Magic and Gremlins: Analog Flight Simulations at NASA's Flight Research Center
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20010011952
Author:	Waltman, Gene L.
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	2000
Document ID:	20010011952
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/SP-2000-4520, NAS 1.21:4520, LC-00-064321
Abstract:	This is a history of the many aircraft simulations that were implemented during the early days at what later became Dryden Flight Research Center using the early generations of analog and hybrid computers. The period to be reviewed is from 1955 to about 1975. This is when analog computer systems were being used at the Flight Research Center (and its predecessor, the NACA HSFS) as major components of all the aircraft simulations that were mechanized and used in support of the various flight research programs.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Apr 07, 2011
NTRS Link	20000024798
Title:	Aeronautics. An Educator's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education: What Pilot, Astronaut, or Aeronautical Engineer didn't Start out with a Toy Glider?
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/20000024798
Author:	Biggs, Pat; Huetter, Ted
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1998
Document ID:	20000024798
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/EG-1998-09-105-HQ
Abstract:	Welcome to the exciting world of aeronautics. The term aeronautics originated in France, and was derived from the Greek words for "air" and "to sail." It is the study of flight and the operation of aircraft. This educator guide explains basic aeronautical concepts, provides a background in the history of aviation, and sets them within the context of the flight environment (atmosphere, airports, and navigation). The activities in this guide are designed to be uncomplicated and fun. They have been developed by NASA Aerospace Education Services Program specialists, who have successfully used them in countless workshops and student programs around the United States. The activities encourage students to explore the nature of flight, and experience some real-life applications of mathematics, science, and technology. The subject of flight has a wonderful power to inspire learning.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	May 12, 2008
NTRS Link	19980169231
Title:	Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19980169231
Author:	Reed, R. Dale; Lister, Darlene; Huntley, J. D.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	1997
Document ID:	19980169231
Accession Number:
Report/Patent Number:	NASA/SP-4220, NAS 1.21:4220
Abstract:	Wingless Flight tells the story of the most unusual flying machines ever flown, the lifting bodies. It is my story about my friends and colleagues who committed a significant part of their lives in the 1960s and 1970s to prove that the concept was a viable one for use in spacecraft of the future. This story, filled with drama and adventure, is about the twelve-year period from 1963 to 1975 in which eight different lifting-body configurations flew. It is appropriate for me to write the story, since I was the engineer who first presented the idea of flight-testing the concept to others at the NASA Flight Research Center. Over those twelve years, I experienced the story as it unfolded day by day at that remote NASA facility northeast of los Angeles in the bleak Mojave Desert. Benefits from this effort immediately influenced the design and operational concepts of the winged NASA Shuttle Orbiter. However, the full benefits would not be realized until the 1990s when new spacecraft such as the X-33 and X-38 would fully employ the lifting-body concept. A lifting body is basically a wingless vehicle that flies due to the lift generated by the shape of its fuselage. Although both a lifting reentry vehicle and a ballistic capsule had been considered as options during the early stages of NASA's space program, NASA initially opted to go with the capsule. A number of individuals were not content to close the book on the lifting-body concept. Researchers including Alfred Eggers at the NASA Ames Research Center conducted early wind-tunnel experiments, finding that half of a rounded nose-cone shape that was flat on top and rounded on the bottom could generate a lift-to-drag ratio of about 1.5 to 1. Eggers' preliminary design sketch later resembled the basic M2 lifting-body design. At the NASA Langley Research Center, other researchers toyed with their own lifting-body shapes. Meanwhile, some of us aircraft-oriented researchers at the, NASA Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California were experiencing our own fascination with the lifting-body concept. A model-aircraft builder and private pilot on my own time, I found the lifting-body idea intriguing. I built a model based on Eggers' design, tested it repeatedly, made modifications in its control and balance characteristics along the way, then eventually presented the concept to others at the Center, using a film of its flights that my wife, Donna and I had made with our 8-mm home camera.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Apr 24, 2012
NTRS Link	19970004281
Title:	Flights of Discovery: 50 Years at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19970004281
Author:	Wallace, Lance E.
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1996
Document ID:	19970004281
Accession Number:	97N12529
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-SP-4309, NAS 1.21:4309, LC-96-15797
Abstract:	As part of the NASA History Series, this report (NASA SP-4309) describes fifty years of aeronautical research at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. Starting with early efforts to exceed the speed of sound with the X-1 aircraft, and continuing through to the X-31 research aircraft, the report covers the flight activities of all of the major research aircraft and lifting bodies studied by NASA. Chapter One, 'A Place for Discovery', describes the facility itself and the surrounding Mojave Desert. Chapter Two, 'The Right Stuff', is about the people involved in the flight research programs. Chapter Three, 'Higher, Faster' summarizes the early years of transonic flight testing and the development of several lifting bodies. Chapter Four, 'Improving Efficiency, Maneuverability & Systems', outlines the development of aeronautical developments such as the supercritical wing, the mission adaptive wing, and various techniques for improving maneuverability fo winged aircraft. Chapter 5, 'Supporting National Efforts', shows how the research activities carried out at Dryden fit into NASA's programs across the country in supporting the space program, in safety and in problem solving related to aircraft design and aviation safety in general. Chapter Six, ' Future Directions' looks to future research building on the fifty year history of aeronautical research at the Dryden Flight Research Center. A glossary of acronyms and an appendix covering concepts and innovations are included. The report also contains many photographs providing a graphical perspective to the historical record.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Apr 24, 2012
NTRS Link	19930017711
Title:	Acronym dictionary
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19930017711
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1993
Document ID:	19930017711
Accession Number:	93N26900
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-CR-193218, NAS 1.26:193218
Abstract:	This reference was originally compiled as a tool for abstracters who need to know the expansion of acronyms they may encounter in the texts they are analyzing. It is a general rule of abstracting at the NASA Center For Aerospace Information (CASI) that acronyms are expanded in the abstract to enhance both information content and searchability. Over the last 22 years, abstracters at CASI have recorded acronyms and their expansions as they were encountered in documents. This is therefore an ad-hoc reference, rather than a systematic collection of all acronyms related to aerospace science and technology.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	May 12, 2008
NTRS Link	19850009625
Title:	On the frontier: Flight research at Dryden 1946-1981
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19850009625
Author:	Hallion, R. P.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	1984
Document ID:	19850009625
Accession Number:	85N17934
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-SP-4303, NAS 1.21:4303, LC-83-14136
Abstract:	The history of flight research at the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center is recounted. The period of emerging supersonic flight technology (1944 to 1959) is reviewed along with the era of flight outside the Earth's atmosphere (1959 to 1981). Specific projects such as the X-15, Gemini, Apollo, and the space shuttle are addressed. The flight chronologies of various aircraft and spacecraft are given.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	May 12, 2008
NTRS Link	19650025624
Title:	Aerodynamic testing using special aircraft
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19650025624
Author:	Drake, H. M.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	1964
Document ID:	19650025624
Accession Number:	65N35225
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-TM-X-51605
Abstract:	Research aircraft for configuration testing and flight simulation
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Aug 26, 2008
NTRS Link	19630003759
Title:	Seventh Semiannual Report to Congress
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19630003759
Author:	Webb, J. E.
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	19630003759
Accession Number:	63N13635
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-TM-85295
Abstract:	Nasa seventh semiannual report to congress, jan 1 through june 30, 1962
Updated/Added to NTRS:	May 31, 2012
NTRS Link	19650076626
Title:	Exploratory flight tests of advanced piloted spacecraft concepts
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19650076626
Author:	Horton, V. W.; Layton, G. P., Jr.; Thompson, M. O.
NASA Center:	Dryden Flight Research Center
Publication Year:	1963
Document ID:	19650076626
Accession Number:	65N89037
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-TM-X-51360
Abstract:
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Apr 07, 2011
NTRS Link	19730061695
Title:	Compilation of Papers Presented to Meeting on Space Vehicle Landing and Recovery Research and Technology
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19730061695
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	19730061695
Accession Number:	73N70937
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-TM-69058, NASA-TMX-51728
Abstract:	A meeting on Space Vehicle Landing and Recovery was held on July 10-11, 1962 at NASA Headquarters. The Centers were asked to participate in this meeting in accordance with their interest, activities, and requirements in the subject area. Primary emphasis was directed toward parachutes, parachute-rocket systems, paragliders, and lifting rotor concepts applicable to bothe booster and spacecraft landing and recovery.
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Nov 29, 2010
NTRS Link	19820065430
Title:	Report to the Congress from the President of the United States: United States aeronautics and space activities, 1962
Online Source:	http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19820065430
Author:
NASA Center:	NASA (Unspecified Center)
Publication Year:	1962
Document ID:	19820065430
Accession Number:	82N70698
Report/Patent Number:	NASA-TM-84058
Abstract:
Updated/Added to NTRS:	Mar 10, 2010