http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1003/17minotaur/
ЦитироватьMinotaur 4 rocket's third stage ready for testing
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: March 17, 2010
Engineers will test a redesigned part of the Minotaur 4 rocket's third stage later this month to ensure it eliminates unintended thrust from the motor, potentially clearing the way for a foursome of military launches this spring and summer, an Air Force spokesperson said.
Teams from ATK, Orbital Sciences Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp., and the Air Force Space Development and Test Wing developed a diffuser for the third stage of the four-stage rocket.
Taken from retired Peacekeeper missile stockpiles, the SR120 third stage is considered government-furnished equipment. The Minotaur 4 is propelled into space by three Peacekeeper stages, then an Orion 38 fourth stage motor inserts payloads into orbit.
The first flight of the new rocket was delayed from last year after analyses indicated the gas generator device that powers the third stage steering system would produce unintended thrust after the motor burns out.
Officials were concerned cold gas attitude control thrusters would attempt to compensate for the unintended thrust.
"It was possible before the diffuser fix mentioned above was implemented that this moment would eventually cause the depletion of this cold gas during long coast periods, possibly causing loss of control," an Air Force Space Development and Test Wing spokesperson said.
The diffuser will be installed on all Minotaur 4 third stages to reduce the gas generator's unintended thrust to acceptable levels well within the control abilities of the cold gas thrusters, according to the Air Force.
A Peacekeeper SR120 motor outfitted with the diffuser will be ignited during a ground test March 31.
"This static fire will provide additional confidence that the implemented diffuser solution is functioning as designed," the Air Force said in a statement.
If the test goes well, a suborbital three-stage Minotaur 4 rocket will launch a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency high-speed glider around April 20. The Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, or HTV, will be boosted to a precise point in space from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., then follow a series of programmed range and cross-range maneuvers before impacting near Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The third stage diffuser will fly on the HTV mission as a demonstration, although the suborbital flight does not require the new system.
Three satellite launches are scheduled as soon as this summer, beginning with a multi-payload mission for the Air Force Space Test Program no earlier than May 28. Launching from Kodiak Island, Alaska, the Minotaur 4 rocket will shoot a cache of military, NASA and university satellites into orbit.
The 2,200-pound Space Based Space Surveillance satellite is also on the Minotaur manifest. The $800 million mission, also called SBSS Block 10, features an optical telescope to track objects circling in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above Earth.
SBSS could launch as soon as July, pending the results of ground and flight tests of the third stage gas generator diffuser, the Air Force said. A specific target launch could be determined in the next two weeks.
The SBSS launch has been pushed back about three years, partially due to rocket issues. In a March 10 statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, a Government Accountability Office manager stated SBSS program officials and contractors are studying the feasibility of launching the payload on a larger Delta 2 rocket.
The Air Force spokesperson said the Minotaur 4 vehicle remains baselined to launch SBSS.
Alaska will be the starting point for another Minotaur 4 flight around August, when the solid-fueled rocket will launch the military's experimental TacSat 4 satellite. TacSat 4 will test new tactical reconnaissance and surveillance sensors.
At least eight Minotaur 4 rockets are slated to launch orbital and suborbital missions over the next few years.
http://www.rol.ru/news/misc/spacenews/06/02/02_001.htm
ЦитироватьЛетные испытания[/size]
Уже в сентябре 2007 года аппарат Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle-1 (HTV-1) должен будет совершить первый полет, в ходе которого ему предстоит развить скорость 19 Мах с выходом за пределы земной атмосферы и входом в нее в диапазоне высот около 30-50 км над поверхностью Земли. Весь полет займет менее часа, аппарат по завершении испытаний будет затоплен в Тихом океане.
Вторые летные испытания планируется провести в 2008-2009 гг. Аппарат HTV-2 усовершенствованной конструкции будет обладать повышенной управляемостью, а также более высоким отношением риска к летным характеристикам. Скорость полета также составит 22 Маха, полет продолжительностью свыше одного часа завершится затоплением аппарата в Тихом океане.
Третий, завершающий полет аппарата HTV-3, запланированный на 2009 год, будет существенно отличаться от остальных. Во-первых, максимальная скорость полета составит 10 Мах. Во-вторых, аппарат стартует с базы Уоллоп в штате Виржиния и после завершения полета над Атлантическим океаном не погибнет. Аппарат будет спасен, что позволит протестировать свойства защитных покрытий, допускающих многократное использование. Первый многоразовый гиперзвуковой аппарат будет также обладать более высокими аэродинамическими характеристиками.
Счас какой летит?
ЦитироватьFalcon: концепция применения[/size]
Как сообщает Military.com, программа Falcon (Force Application and Launch from CONus) ставит целью обеспечение возможности нанесения удара по любой точке земного шара с установленных на территории США пусковых комплексов с задержкой, не превышающей 2 часов. В настоящее время этот параметр составляет 12 часов. Информация о самом аппарате пока что скудна - данных о его предполагаемой размерности, в частности, не приводится. Конструкция аппарата разрабатывалась в Ливерморской лаборатории.
фсе понятно
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80627.gif)
баян
https://www.llnl.gov/str/Carter.html
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123200332
ЦитироватьAir Force space officials prepare to launch first Minotaur IV
4/16/2010 - LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- The first launch of the Minotaur IV Space Launch Vehicle is scheduled to occur April 20 at noon PDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
The Minotaur IV is the newest variant in the Minotaur family of rockets built by Orbital Sciences Corporation. It is a four-stage solid rocket vehicle consisting of three decommissioned Peacekeeper missile stages and a fourth commercially built stage developed by OSC. For this maiden lift-off, the rocket will be in a "lite" configuration consisting of only the first three stages and no fourth stage due to mission requirements.
The payload for this first launch is the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle, or HTV, built by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency scientists. The Falcon HTV-2 program is an innovative research and development joint venture of DARPA and the Air Force to develop and demonstrate hypersonic technologies that will help achieve a prompt global-reach capability.
The Minotaur family of launch vehicles are provided via the Orbital/Suborbital Program 2 and managed by the Space Development and Test Wing's Launch Test Squadron located at Kirtland AFB, N.M.
Scientists at the Space Development and Test Wing develop and provide operationally responsive space capabilities that expand warfighter access to national space assets that enhance mission command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
The Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles AFB is the Air Force's center of acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems and includes six wings and three groups responsible for GPS, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control network, space based infrared systems, intercontinental ballistic missile systems and space situational awareness capabilities.
"noon PDT" это как я понимаю 19:00 UTC? Так?
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html
ЦитироватьApril 21/22 Atlas 5 • OTV
Launch window: 2244-0107 GMT on 21st-22nd (6:44 p.m.-9:07 p.m. EDT on 21st)
Launch site: SLC-41, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket (AV-012) will launch the U.S. military's X-37B, a prototype space plane also called the Orbital Test Vehicle. The rocket will fly in the 501 vehicle configuration with a five-meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. Delayed from April 19 and 20 due to range conflict. [April 15]
Кхм. А причем здесь пуск с Канаверала? :) Это же совсем другая птичка.
Цитироватьhttp://www.rol.ru/news/misc/spacenews/06/02/02_001.htm
ЦитироватьЛетные испытания[/size]
Уже в сентябре 2007 года аппарат Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle-1 (HTV-1) должен будет совершить первый полет, в ходе которого ему предстоит развить скорость 19 Мах с выходом за пределы земной атмосферы и входом в нее в диапазоне высот около 30-50 км над поверхностью Земли. Весь полет займет менее часа, аппарат по завершении испытаний будет затоплен в Тихом океане.
Вторые летные испытания планируется провести в 2008-2009 гг. Аппарат HTV-2 усовершенствованной конструкции будет обладать повышенной управляемостью, а также более высоким отношением риска к летным характеристикам. Скорость полета также составит 22 Маха, полет продолжительностью свыше одного часа завершится затоплением аппарата в Тихом океане.
Третий, завершающий полет аппарата HTV-3, запланированный на 2009 год, будет существенно отличаться от остальных. Во-первых, максимальная скорость полета составит 10 Мах. Во-вторых, аппарат стартует с базы Уоллоп в штате Виржиния и после завершения полета над Атлантическим океаном не погибнет. Аппарат будет спасен, что позволит протестировать свойства защитных покрытий, допускающих многократное использование. Первый многоразовый гиперзвуковой аппарат будет также обладать более высокими аэродинамическими характеристиками.
Счас какой летит?
Программа закрыта, но можно считать что это HTV-2 минус некоторые фичи.
http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/release.asp?prid=727
ЦитироватьOrbital Set to Launch First Minotaur IV Rocket for U.S. Air Force This Week
-- Suborbital Launch of Peacekeeper-Based Rocket to Support DARPAs HTV-2 Hypersonic Research Mission --
(Dulles, VA 19 April 2010) -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), one of the world's leading space technology companies, today announced that it is prepared to launch the first of its Minotaur IV rockets in support of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2 (HTV-2) program. The Minotaur IV launch vehicle is based on decommissioned Peacekeeper rocket motors that Orbital integrates and upgrades with modern avionics and other subsystems to produce a cost-effective booster based on flight-proven hardware. Subject to final preparations and favorable weather conditions, the mission will originate from Space Launch Complex-8 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, with its first available launch window from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (PST) tomorrow, April 20, 2010.
For the HTV-2 mission, Orbital will fly a three-stage Minotaur IV "Lite" version of the rocket to carry out the suborbital flight trajectory. The Minotaur IV will propel the HTV-2 air vehicle into the upper atmosphere, where it will be released. The HTV-2 will then descend at hypersonic speed into the Pacific Ocean near Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
The Minotaur IV rocket is the newest in the Minotaur family of launchers that Orbital produces for the U.S. Air Force under the Orbital/Suborbital Program-2 contract. The first orbital mission of the Minotaur IV will take place later this year when it launches the Air Force's Space Base Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite.
"The first flight of the Minotaur IV rocket ushers in an all-new capability for the Air Force and other U.S. Government customers at a time when reliable, cost-effective missions are at a premium," said Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems Group. "Building on the outstanding record of the 16 previous flights of the Minotaur family, all of which have been successful, we are excited to begin flying the Minotaur IV rocket for our Air Force customer."
The debut of Minotaur IV begins a series of launch vehicle system introductions that will highlight Orbital's position as the most active current developer of new rocket systems in the world. Beginning with Minotaur IV, Orbital is scheduled to complete the development and carry out the first flights of five new space and strategic launch systems in the next two and a half years.
The four other launch vehicles are the Launch Abort System for NASA's Orion program, the two-stage interceptor booster for the Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, the Taurus II medium-class space launch vehicle for NASA and other customers, and the Air Force's Minotaur V rocket that is scheduled to launch NASA's LADEE lunar mission in 2012.
Mr. Grabe also stated, "With the introduction of several new space launch vehicles in the next couple of years, combined with our heritage Pegasus, Taurus and Minotaur vehicles, Orbital will offer its defense and intelligence, civil government and commercial satellite customers the world's most complete and proven line of launchers for small- and medium-class satellites weighing up to 12,000 lbs."
About the HTV-2 Mission
DARPA's HTV-2 program objective is to create new technological options that enable capabilities that urgently address threats to U.S. national security. The program is developing and testing an unmanned, rocket-launched, maneuverable, hypersonic air vehicle that glides through the Earth's atmosphere, at speeds of Mach 20 and above. The key technical challenges of the HTV-2 program are the design of an innovative high lift-to-drag aerodynamic shape, advanced lightweight but tough thermal protection structures, materials and fabrication technologies, autonomous hypersonic navigation guidance and control systems, and an autonomous flight safety system.
About Minotaur IV
The Minotaur IV space launch vehicle leverages the flight-proven heritage of Orbital's Minotaur I, Pegasus and Taurus space launch vehicles to provide a reliable, capable and cost-effective space launcher. Minotaur IV utilizes three government-furnished solid rocket motors from decommissioned Peacekeeper ICBMs and a commercial solid rocket upper stage. Minotaur IV builds on a long heritage of launch systems with over 50 flights of each core stage and is capable of launching payloads up to 3,800 lbs. (1,730 kgs.) to low Earth orbit.
как же без картинок-то обойтись
(http://s003.radikal.ru/i201/1004/53/49c22e443a08t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s003.radikal.ru/i201/1004/53/49c22e443a08.jpg.html)
(http://i033.radikal.ru/1004/2d/b6178236d7b2t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/i033.radikal.ru/1004/2d/b6178236d7b2.jpg.html)
(http://s53.radikal.ru/i142/1004/fd/0b9684eaa6c2t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s53.radikal.ru/i142/1004/fd/0b9684eaa6c2.jpg.html)
(http://s45.radikal.ru/i109/1004/de/6878beaec012t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s45.radikal.ru/i109/1004/de/6878beaec012.jpg.html)
(http://i068.radikal.ru/1004/db/8d12c7221655t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/i068.radikal.ru/1004/db/8d12c7221655.jpg.html)
(http://i015.radikal.ru/1004/56/1317f5ece4e9t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/i015.radikal.ru/1004/56/1317f5ece4e9.jpg.html)
(http://s006.radikal.ru/i214/1004/20/aa085a8f5e4dt.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s006.radikal.ru/i214/1004/20/aa085a8f5e4d.jpg.html)
(http://i030.radikal.ru/1004/0a/ac8ef4c96e3ft.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/i030.radikal.ru/1004/0a/ac8ef4c96e3f.jpg.html)
(http://i003.radikal.ru/1004/45/eb640f28a3dbt.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/i003.radikal.ru/1004/45/eb640f28a3db.jpg.html)
Супостат демонстрирует маневрирующую боеголовку?
ну это как бы с самого начала подразумевалось
только она не совсем боеголовка
(http://s54.radikal.ru/i146/1004/5e/05764959f407t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s54.radikal.ru/i146/1004/5e/05764959f407.jpg.html)
(http://s44.radikal.ru/i104/1004/d4/4efd1844fb69t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s44.radikal.ru/i104/1004/d4/4efd1844fb69.jpg.html)
(http://s03.radikal.ru/i176/1004/e0/a9f30a0dcc40t.jpg) (http://radikal.ru/F/s03.radikal.ru/i176/1004/e0/a9f30a0dcc40.jpg.html)
flateric, спасибо. А можно добыть в сети сей пресс-кит целиком?
Интересно - а почему они ее сразу на Кваджалейн не запускают? Зачем такой хитрый маневр но курсу после отработки маршевых ступеней?
Цитироватьflateric, спасибо. А можно добыть в сети сей пресс-кит целиком?
пресс-кита как такового в природе нет
это надергано из презентаций DARPA и AIAAшных бумаг
чуть позже попробую выложить
кто бы мог подумать, что можно обнаружить в бумаге с названием
"TTO Overview to Women in Defense"
http://wid.ndia.org/pdf/David_Neyland%20_Briefing.pdf
ну и вторая
The DARPA/AF Falcon Program: The Hypersonic Technology Vehicle #2 (HTV-2) Flight Demonstration Phase
http://files.mail.ru/3XXB89
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123200637
Цитировать4/20/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The launch of a Minotaur IV spacelift booster is delayed due to forecasted weather.
The rocket was set to launch from Space Launch Complex-8 on south base Tuesday, April 20, 2010. The launch has been rescheduled with a time frame of noon-6 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, 2010.
23:20 Рейс задержан, проблемы с ракетой.
02:50 Дали добро, десятиминутная готовность.
03:03 Подтверждён пуск!
03:05 Есть отделение нагрузки.
First Minotaur IV Lite launches from Vandenberg (http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123201119)
Цитировать4/22/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Team Vandenberg launched the first Minotaur IV Lite launch vehicle at 4 p.m. April 22 from Space Launch Complex-8 here.
The rocket launched the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2.
The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. David Buck, was the launch decision authority.
The Minotaur family of launch vehicles are provided via the Orbital/Suborbital Program 2 and managed by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Space Development and Test Wing's Launch Test Squadron located at Kirtland AFB, N.M.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/80631.jpg)
Таким образом, гиперзвуковая игрушка улетела за 52 минуты до шаттла X-37B. Однако 22 апреля -- праздник американской военой космонавтики.
Праздник не удался:
ЦитироватьA new Minotaur launch vehicle derived from retired missile parts successfully blasted off from the California coast Thursday, but officials lost contact with a hypersonic glider testbed for a U.S. military quick-response global strike system.
The craft, called the Hypersonic Test Vehicle 2a, apparently did not complete all of its planned maneuvers to demonstrate new hypersonic flight systems.
"Preliminary review of technical data indicates the Minotaur Lite launch system successfully delivered the Falcon HTV 2 glide vehicle to the desired separation conditions," the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said in a statement. "The launch vehicle executed first of its kind energy management maneuvers, clamshell payload fairing release and HTV 2 deployment."
The HTV 2a payload launched Thursday separated from the Minotaur high in the upper atmosphere at a velocity more than 20 times the speed of sound.
But tracking assets lost contact with the triangle-shaped craft 9 minutes after liftoff. "An engineering team is reviewing available data to understand this event," DARPA said in a written statement.
After its release from the Minotaur third stage, the craft was designed to try out its aerodynamic control system and conduct sweeping turns to bleed off excess energy and demonstrate its cross-range capabilities.
The DARPA press release did not specify whether any of the test maneuvers were completed before controllers lost communications with the craft.
The HTV was built by Lockheed Martin Corp.
A second test vehicle was scheduled for launch in early 2011 on a similar flight, according to a DARPA spokesperson.
But that schedule was announced before Thursday's mishap.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1004/23minotaur/index.html
Насколько можно судить по этой (http://radikal.ru/F/s006.radikal.ru/i214/1004/20/aa085a8f5e4d.jpg.html) и этой (http://radikal.ru/F/i003.radikal.ru/1004/45/eb640f28a3db.jpg.html) картинкам, 9-ая минута после старта как раз соответствует первому "нырку" в атмосферу. Либо система управления не удержала аппарат, либо прогорело ТЗП.
http://www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=15059370&PageNum=0
ЦитироватьИспытан аппарат, способный превысить скорость звука в 20 раз
23.04.2010, 22.11
ЛОС-АНДЖЕЛЕС, 23 апреля. /ИТАР-ТАСС/. Пентагон осуществил первый испытательный полет аппарата, способного превысить скорость звука в 20 раз. Запуск гиперзвукового беспилотного аппарата /ГБА/ на ракете-носителе "Минотавр" был осуществлен в четверг с базы ВВС США Ванденберг в штате Калифорния. Об этом сообщило сегодня Управление перспективных исследовательских программ минобороны /ДАРПА/. ДАРПА и командование базы не говорят о том, насколько успешно прошло испытание, и не приводят другие подробности.
Согласно предоставленным ранее данным управления ГБА под названием "Эйч-Ти-Ви-2" разработан корпорацией "Локхид-Мартин". Проект является составной частью программы "Фэлкон", ставящей своей целью обеспечить министерство обороны США средством нанесения "быстрых и точных неядерных ударов по любой цели на планете в ответ на угрозы национальной безопасности Соединенных Штатов". Причем, речь идет о реагировании на возникновение таких угроз "в минимальные сроки или без предупреждения" вообще. ГБА задуманы в качестве альтернативы межконтинентальным баллистическим ракетам, оснащенным ядерными боеголовками, уточнили в ДАРПА.
Ракета-носитель "Минотавр" насчитывает четыре ступени, но для испытания собрана в трехступенчатом варианте. Программа полета предусматривала отделение ГБА от ракеты в верхних слоях атмосферы, потом спуск в режиме свободного парения над Тихим океаном в направлении Маршалловых островов со скоростью около 21 тыс км/час. Условная цель - севернее атолла Кваджалейн - расположена на расстоянии 4,1 тыс морских миль. "Эйч-Ти-Ви-2" должен был преодолеть их менее чем за 30 минут.
DARPA's HTV-2 Didn't Phone Home (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:70769585-4348-4701-889a-f02c58f38314&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest)
Posted by Graham Warwick at 4/24/2010 10:57 AM CDT
DARPA says it lost contact with its HTV-2 hypersonic test vehicle 9min after launch of the dart-like glider atop a Minotaur IV Lite booster from Vandenberg. The agency's brief press release says the Minotaur successfully delivered its payload to the desired separation conditions and deployed the HTV-2, so telemetry was lost after the unpowered vehicle was released at the edge of the atmosphere.
One possibility is that a sheath of plasma that would form around the vehicle as it reentered the atmosphere at Mach 20-plus could have interfered with telemetry. But in an interview with Aviation Week before the flight, DARPA program manager Paul Erbland said the risk of ionized gases attentuating signals from the vehicle was "relatively modest", particulary at the high altitude the HTV-2 was deployed.
The release does not say what happened to the HTV-2 - the vehicle had a specially developed autonomous flight safety system designed to detect any deviation from the planned route and automatically terminate the flight.
The Lockheed Martin-built HTV-2 was supposed to fly 4,100nm across the Pacific in 30min in the first of two flights to demonstrate aerodynamic, thermal-protection, and guidance, navigation and control technology for a prompt global strike weapon able to fly 9,000nm in under 2 hours. The second flight is planned for 2011.
The sharp-edged, highly swept HTV-2 is designed to demonstrate long endurance at high speed by achieving an "unprecedented" hypersonic lift-to-drag ratio, much higher than the Space Shuttle's, and having a carbon-carbon aeroshell that provides thermal protection with minimal ablation, unlike a reentry-vehicle heat shield that burns off to shed heat.
Looking for success among the bad news, DARPA says the Minotaur executed "first of its kind" energy-management maneuvers before releasing the HTV-2. These were required, Erbland said, because even with just three Peacekeeper missile stages, the Minotaur IV Lite is more powerful than required. So the third stage maneuvered to bleed off energy before deploying the HTV-2 at the edge of the atmosphere.
Even then, he said, the booster would overshoot the desired insertion conditions by around 100,000ft, so the HTV-2 was programmed to reenter then pull up to the correct altitude to begin its hypersonic glide - which was planned to start around 200,000ft and Mach 20 and end around 100,000ft with the HTV-2 rolling inverted and pulling down into a hypersonic dive into the ocean off Kwajalein. Well, that was the plan.
Uncovered by the incomparable flateric on secretprojects.co.uk, this graphic from a December presentation by DARPA Tactical Technology Office director David Nyland suggests contact with the HTV-2 (on the yellow Mission A line) was lost somewhere between beginning reentry and starting its hypersonic glide.
Investigation of the telemetry failure is under way. But the question now is what this means for the second HTV-2 flight (red Mission B line above). This is intended to demonstrate the cross-range capability provided by the vehicle's hypersonic aerodynamic efficiency - and key to a prompt global strike weapon - involving sustained maneuvers beyond the simple S-turns planned for the first flight. It's more likely the second flight will have to be a repeat of the first.
Bill Sweetman wrote:
I talked to a longtime member of the hypersonic community at a conference in February, and he was fretting that the HTV-2, with sharp leading edges, was a high-risk approach. It's also the baseline for Prompt Global Strike. I expect that Boeing's alternative will be a biconic shape, more like the legendary AMaRV.
DARPA Investigates Hypersonic Glider Loss (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/awx/2010/04/26/awx_04_26_2010_p0-222264.xml&headline=DARPA%20Investigates%20Hypersonic%20Glider%20Loss)
ЦитироватьDARPA Investigates Hypersonic Glider Loss
Apr 26, 2010
By Graham Warwick graham_warwick@aviationweek.com
Washington
Lockheed Martin and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are investigating why contact with the first HTV-2 test vehicle was lost soon after launch on a mission to demonstrate technology for high-performance, long-endurance hypersonic flight.
The third stage of the Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV Lite booster successfully completed energy-management maneuvers, released its clamshell payload fairing and deployed the HTV-2 at the edge of the atmosphere, but telemetry signals from the hypersonic glider were lost about 9 minutes into the mission, DARPA says.
Launched from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. on April 22, the unmanned HTV-2 was planned to cross the Pacific and impact the ocean north of Kwajalein Atoll in the first of two flights to demonstrate technology for a prompt global strike weapon capable of flying 9,000nm in less than 2 hours.
After launch, the Minotaur's third stage was to execute maneuvers to bleed off energy before releasing the HTV-2, which was programmed to reenter the atmosphere then climb to the correct altitude to begin its glide to Kwajalein at around Mach 20.
Based on a mission timeline released by DARPA in December, the HTV-2 was between beginning reentry and starting its hypersonic glide when telemetry signals were lost. The agency says it is working to understand what happened to the vehicle.
Key technology-demonstration objectives for the flight included: a substantial increase in hypersonic aerodynamic efficiency, for long range; efficient thermal protection, to withstand sustained high temperatures; energy management, with autonomous precision flight control; and an autonomous flight termination system, for safety.
The first mission was to be a direct flight from Vandenberg to Kwajalein, with a series of S-turns to bleed off energy and collect aerodynamic data. The second flight, set for 2011, was planned to expand the envelope to higher velocity, up to Mach 25, and demonstrate cross-range maneuvering.
Data from the flight was intended to validate new design tools developed by DARPA and prime contractor Lockheed Martin. "The measure of success is collecting data to verify modeling and analysis tools that will open a new design space for high-performance, long-endurance maneuvering hypersonic systems," said DARPA program manager Dr. Paul Erbland in an interview before the mission.
The HTV-2 is a slender, highly-swept, sharp-edged delta with "unprecedented" aerodynamic efficiency for a hypersonic vehicle, said Erbland. The vehicle is designed to fly at a low angle of attack relative to other hypersonic vehicles. "Shuttle and similar vehicles fly at roughly 40°; HTV-2 is substantially below that," he said.
The single-piece, load-carrying carbon-carbon aeroshell is designed to withstand extended exposure to high temperatures with low recession, unlike the heat shields on reentry vehicles that burn off material to shed heat. But very high temperatures on the sharp nose and leading edges of the HTV-2 are expected to cause them to recede by 1-2in over the flight, Erbland said, "so it's important to understand how shape change affects aerodynamics and mass properties, then accommodate that in the guidance, navigation and control design."
Lockheed Martin and Carbon-Carbon Advanced Technologies fabricated the aeroshell by co-consolidating components during build-up into a single-piece structure, which was then installed over an insulated cocoon housing vehicle systems. "It's a tremendously efficient thermal protection system for high-altitude, high-speed flight," he said. "Instantaneous heat flux is not as high [as for a reentry vehicle], but over a long time the net heat load is huge and carbon-carbon radiates a large percentage back to space."
Extensive arcjet and wind-tunnel testing was conducted to benchmark the aero-thermal computational models used by Lockheed Martin to design the HTV-2. "Because temperatures on the nose and leading edges are so high, we do get recession. We have to accept the shape change and model the recession to understand the effect on mass properties and aerodynamics," Erbland said.
A key factor in aero-thermal design is the transition from laminar to turbulent flow over the vehicle, as boundary-layer turbulence increases drag and surface heating and drives heat-shield thickness. "In the past vehicle designers assumed the whole flight was turbulent, which caused us to overdesign the heat shield and carry excess weight," he said.
Transition prediction for previous hypersonic designs was based on correlation with existing data derived from reentry-vehicle and space shuttle flights, "[but] we didn't have a database for slender hypersonic lighting vehicles," Erbland said. As a result, DARPA, the U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin developed and used physics-based transition design tools for the first time in hypersonic vehicle development.
"We demonstrated the physical mechanisms driving transition are fundamentally different for this shape than for reentry vehicles or the shuttle," he said. The new tools predicted transition would occur earlier than expected using correlation-based analysis, so the HTV-2 was designed to carry additional energy into each maneuver to account for increased drag. "Transition behavior is sensitive to shape change. We have developed new analysis tools to fully couple that change to the heating and feed it back into the aerodynamics."
Autonomous guidance, navigation and control was designed to enable the HTV-2 to manage its energy and fly a precise flight path to a "very accurate" terminal location, said Erbland. After release, the vehicle was planned to navigate via a series of waypoints, managing its trajectory "to arrive with sufficient energy to get to the next one, plus a little extra in case the drag is higher than predicted."
DARPA concept
Pentagon's Mach 20 Glider Disappears, Whacking 'Global Strike' Plans (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/04/pentagons-mach-20-glider-disappears-whacking-global-strike-plans/#ixzz0mN567Ccx)
By Noah Shachtman
April 27, 2010 | 4:49 pm | Categories: DarpaWatch
The Pentagon's controversial plan to hit terrorists half a planet away suffered a setback this weekend, after an experimental hypersonic glider disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
In its first flight test. the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) was supposed to be rocket-launched from California to the edge of space. Then the HTV-2 would could screaming back into the atmosphere, maneuvering at twenty times times the speed of sound before landing north of the Kwajalein Atoll, 30 minutes later and 4100 nautical miles away. Thinly wedge-shaped for better lift, equipped with autonomous navigation for more precision, and made of carbon-carbon to withstand the assault of hypersonic flight, the hope was it could fly farther and more accurately at a lower angle of attack than other craft returning to Earth.
At least, that was the idea. Instead, nine minutes after launch, Darpa researchers lost contact with the HTV-2. They're still trying to figure out why. The agency says the flight test wasn't a total bust: The craft deployed from its rocket booster, performed some maneuvers in the air, and "achieved controlled flight within the atmosphere at over Mach 20," Darpa spokesperson Johanna Jones says.
But it's bad news for the Pentagon "prompt global strike" program — a burgeoning and hotly-debated effort to almost-instantly attack targets thousands of miles away. The Defense Department is pursuing three different families of technologies to accomplish the task. One is to re-arm nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles with conventional warheads. But that runs the risk of accidentally triggering a response from another atomic power, who might mistake it for a nuke. A second effort is to build shorter-range cruise missiles than can fly at five or six times the speed of sound; that effort hit some recent turbulence when flight tests for the X-51 Waverider, scheduled for December 2009, were pushed until May 2010. Something like an armed version of the HTV-2 is the third choice.
"There's always a concern that a conventional warhead on an ICBM might be confused with a nuclear device - what can you do to prove otherwise?" Dr. Mark Lewis, the former chief scientist of the Air Force, tells Danger Room. "With a high lift vehicle, your trajectory would be so different that no one would likely confuse it with something more sinister."
Brian Weeden, a technology advisor for the Secure World Foundation, agrees. "This thing itself is not a weapon. But it's designed to lead to a precision strike weapon," he says.
But the first step is to figure out what went wrong over the Pacific. Darpa says its investigation is ongoing.
http://lenta.ru/news/2010/11/18/htv2/
ЦитироватьСША назвали причину неудачного первого полета гиперзвукового аппарата[/size]
Управление перспективных разработок министерства обороны США (DARPA) завершило расследование причин неудачного первого полета гиперзвукового аппарата Falcon HTV-2, состоявшегося 20 апреля 2010 года. Как сообщает Defense Aerospace, точных причин неудачных испытаний установить не удалось. Предположительно, сбой ракеты произошел из-за неправильной работы систем управления аппаратом.
Напомним, 20 апреля аппарат стартовал на борту ракеты-носителя Minotaur IV с базы ВВС США Ванденберг в Калифорнии. Согласно плану первого полета, Falcon должен был пролететь 4,1 тысячи морских миль (7,6 тысячи километров) за полчаса и упасть неподалеку от Атолла Кваджалейна. Предположительно, аппарат сумел развить скорость в 20 чисел Маха в верхних слоях атмосферы, однако в полете связь с ним была утеряна, из-за чего испытатели не могли получать телеметрическую информацию.
Наиболее вероятной причиной неудачного запуска DARPA считает недостаток системы управления полетом Falcon - неправильно установленный центр тяжести ракеты, а также недостаточная подвижность рулей высоты и стабилизаторов. Предположительно, в полете ракета стала поворачиваться вокруг продольной оси. При этом ограниченная система управления не позволила выровнять полет. Когда вращение достигло предельного значения, установленного в программе, ракета самоуничтожилась.
Следующий запуск Falcon HTV-2 запланирован на лето 2011 года. Программное обеспечение аппарата изменено не будет. При этом конструкция аппарата, согласно рекомендациям DARPA, будет незначительно изменена. В частности, инженеры несколько сместят центр тяжести ракеты, уменьшат угол атаки в полете, а также доработают элементы управления.
Falcon разрабатывается с 2003 года. Сейчас программа является частью концепции оперативного глобального высокоточного удара Пентагона. Эта концепция предполагает быстрое нанесение ударов в любой точке мира обычными видами вооружения. Не исключено, что FHTV, оснащенный обычной боеголовкой, будет использоваться вместо баллистических ракет, поскольку запуск последних может быть расценен другими странами, как ядерная угроза. ВВС США также рассматривают возможность применения аппаратов, подобных FHTV, в качестве систем разведки и наблюдения.
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/15264.jpg)
Falcon HTV-2. Изображение с сайта ifpafletcherconference.com
Оригинал статьи:
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/article-view/release/120057/darpa-concludes-review-of-falcon-htv_2-failure.html
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