Supersonic Cruise Technology Nasa Sp 472 History Of Breaking The Sound Barrier Us And Foreign Sst Transport Programs B 70 Tu 144 Concorde Problems With Sonic Boom Pollution Aerodynamics

This NASA document provides a historic perspective of supersonic cruise technology, beginning with the early NACA supersonic research and including efforts during the B-70 and SST phase. It also records technological progress made in the NASA SCR and VCE programs. Since every research result could not be detailed here, only the most critical technology issues and research findings are presented.NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), have participated since 1920 in efforts to develop the technology required for supersonic cruise flight. Preliminary work concentrated on developing rudimentary test facilities and methods that would permit the investigation of supersonic problems. This was accompanied by research for defining aircraft and propulsion concepts for flight at speeds greater than the speed of sound. These early investigations contributed to the development of the joint U.S. Air Force/Navy/Bell XS-1 airplane that was piloted on the first successful supersonic flight by Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager in 1947. Between 1956 and 1971, a strong research effort supported the USAF supersonic B-70 and commercial supersonic transport concepts. After neither of these programs resulted in a production aircraft because of technical and political problems, NASA was given the responsibility of establishing the technology base for a viable supersonic cruise airplane. This latter effort, known as the NASA Supersonic Cruise Research (SCR) program, was conducted from 1971 to 1981. The NASA Variable Cycle Engine (VCE) program, a propulsion offshoot of SCR, was conducted from 1976 to 1981.1 Introduction * 2 Setting The Stage For Supersonic Cruise Technology * The Sound Barrier * The First Supersonic Cruise Aircraft * The Next Logical Step * After the U.S. Supersonic Transport Program * 3 NACA Preliminary Supersonic Cruise Technology (?-1956) * Mounting an Attack on the Sound Barrier * Breaking the Sound Barrier * 4 NACA/NASA Supportive Supersonic Cruise Technology (1956-1971) * The U.S. Air Force B-70 Bomber Program * The U.S. Supersonic Transport Program * 5 Foreign Supersonic Transport Programs * The Soviet TU-144 * The British/French Concorde * 6 Lessons Learned In Pre-1972 Supersonic Cruise Experience * The Military/Commercial Difference * A Successful SST Will Permit Little Room for Design Compromise * The Value of Focused Technology Efforts * U.S. Technology Subsidization * Evolution of an Acceptable SST Will Be Difficult * Perceptions of a "Rampant" Technology * Summary of Lessons Learned * 7 Supersonic Cruise Problems And Potential * Technical Problems * Environmental Problems * Supersonic Cruise Potential * 8 Pursuing The Problems And Potential Of Supersonic Cruise Flight: THE NASA SCR and VCE Programs * Objectives and Rationale of the NASA SCR Program Organization and Elements of the NASA SCR Program * Alterations to SCR Program Structure * Dissemination of SCR Technical Information * Scope of NASA SCR Program * 9 Progress In Supersonic Cruise Technology Since 1972 * Progress in Environmental Issues * Progress in Aerodynamics * Progress in Structures and Materials * Progress in Propulsion * Progress in Configuration Concepts/Integration * Summary of Progress * 10 Supersonic Cruise Technology Before (1971) And After (1982) The NASA SCR and VCE Programs * Comparisons * Possible Ramifications of SCR and VCE Technology * 11 Future Directions Of Supersonic Cruise Research

"This document provides a historic perspective of supersonic cruise technology, beginning with the early NACA supersonic research and including efforts during the B-70 and SST phase. It also records technological progress made in the NASA SCR and VCE programs." -- Foreward.

An attempt was made to outline the historical development of the United States supersonic transport development program and to place in proper perspective the national significance of the SST program. The technological aspects and problems of the sonic boom were reviewed. The actual overflight sonic boom programs to date were reviewed and capsule results were discussed.

Traces the development of supersonic aerodynamics and the breaking of the sound barrier.

High-speed flight is a major technological challenge for both commercial and business aviation. As a first step in revitalizing efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to achieve the technology objective of high-speed air travel, NASA requested the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a study that would identify approaches for achieving breakthroughs in research and technology for commercial supersonic aircraft. Commercial Supersonic Technology documents the results of that effort. This report describes technical areas where ongoing work should be continued and new focused research initiated to enable operational deployment of an environmentally acceptable, economically viable commercial aircraft capable of sustained supersonic flight, including flight over land, at speeds up to approximately Mach 2 in the next 25 years or less.

In High-Speed Dreams, Erik M. Conway constructs an insightful history that focuses primarily on the political and commercial factors responsible for the rise and fall of American supersonic transport research programs. Conway charts commercial supersonic research efforts through the changing relationships between international and domestic politicians, military/NASA contractors, private investors, and environmentalists. He documents post-World War II efforts at the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics and the Defense Department to generate supersonic flight technologies, the attempts to commercialize these technologies by Britain and the United States during the 1950s and 1960s, environmental campaigns against SST technology in the 1970s, and subsequent attempts to revitalize supersonic technology at the end of the century. High-Speed Dreams is a sophisticated study of politics, economics, nationalism, and the global pursuit of progress. Historians, along with participants in current aerospace research programs, will gain valuable perspective on the interaction of politics and technology.