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N EWS R ELEASENATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW, WASHINGTON 25, D.C.TELEPHONES WORTH 2-4155-WORTH 3-1110FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY PM'sAugust 16, 1962

RELEASE NO. 62-184SCOUT TO FLY NASA REENTRY EXPERIMENT

A flight experiment to make direct measurements ofradiative heating during atmosphere entry will be launchedno earlier than August 19 by the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration from NASA's Wallops Station, WallopsIsland, Virginia. The heating experiment, devised byscientists of the NASA Langley Research Center, will beflown on a Scout launch vehicle.Much additional research information is requiredfor efficient design of future spacecraft intended to

reenter the atmosphere at spends above the 17,500 mphtypical of earth orbits. Lunar vehicles of the Apollotype will return to earth at speeds near 25,000 mph,and the radiative heating information to be gathered inthe forthcoming flight will contribute knowledge neededfor correct heat shield design. The Scout flight willattempt to reach a reentry speed of more than 18,000 milesper hour, and future experiments at even higher speedsare being planned.This heat transfer experiment is part of the NASASupercircular Reentry Research Project to study reentry

heating and its effect on selected materials for spacecraftreentering the atmosphere at speeds of about 20,000 milesper hour. A separate research program -- Project Fire --will provide information for shielding of spacecraft forreentry speeds of 25,000 miles per hour.In the forthcoming Langley experiment, the payloadwill contain instruments to measure total radiant energy;the energy as related to the wavelength spectrum of airin equilibrium; and if possible, determine whether theradiation is from air in non-equilibrium.Total Scout payload weight to be flown will be about375 pounds; the reentry payload weight at the start ofreentry is about 160 pounds. Including the adapter link-ing it to the Scout's fourth stage, the payload is Ju(Over)us

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-2-over four feet long. It tapers from slightly less than12 inches at the blunt nose cap to 20 1/4 inches at itswidest point.After launch from Wallops Island, the first two Scoutstages propel the remaining sections to an altitude of about135 miles. Near the peak of the trajectory, the Scoutcontrol system tilts the vehicle slightly downward and theremaining stages fire in quick succession. Trajectoryand speed conditions are carefully selected to submit theinstrumented payload to radiative heating conditions innon-equilibrium air.Reentry will occur nearly 800 miles downrange fromWallops Island. The payload and burned out fifth stagewill drop into the Atlantic Ocean south and slightly eastof Bermuda about nine and one-half minutes after launch.The flight will take place during maximum darkness and afaint meteor-like trail will be visible during the entryphase. Top speed is expected to occur at 70 miles altitude.As reentry speeds increase, important changes inaerodynamic heating occur. Further experiments in the lab-oratory and in flight are required for a precise under-standing of the nature and extent of such changes. TheLangley experiment is one of numerous NASA efforts togather the needed knowledge.Energies present at reentry speeds typical of a lunarmission return cause significant chemical and physicalchanges in the air. One such change is known as ionization,and it occurs when energy levels are high enough to stripelectrons away from the atoms of gas of which air iscomposed. Air ionized by an entering spacecraft becomesluminous, and during the brief time that elapses before it

returns to its normal condition, it is said to be in achemical non-equilibrium state.The non-equilibrium condition is of special interestbecause laboratory experiments indicate that radiative heat-ing under such conditions may be many times that of theequilibrium value. It is important to distinguish betweenthe two main types of heating present during atmosphereentry. Convective heating, predominant at lower speeds,occurs when heat passes directly from the air into the vehicleflying through it. It may be likened to the heat one feelswhen lifting a hot cup of coffee. Radiative heating does

not depend on direct contact, but is analogous to the heatemitted from the burner of an electric stove which can befelt several feet away. In the reentry situation, the layerof hot, incandescent air piled up ahead of the spacecraftcan radiate heat in significantly large amounts withoutdirectly touching the vehicle.

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TRACKING AND TELEMETRYRadar, telemetry and optical coverage will all be usedto gather information on the reentry experiment. Radartracking stations at Wallops Island, and in Bermuda willfollow the course of the flight. Photogr'aphs of the pay-load entry will be made by ballistic cameras placed attwo points on Bermuda, while a spectrographic record ofthe event will be made from a Texas Tower station near

Bermuda.Telemetered data broadcast from the payload and thelaunch vehicle will be received at Wallops Island at Bermudaand on a range telemetry ship operated by Wallops Station.About seven minutes after launch, the payload experiment willenter a region where ionization in the atmosphere surroundingthe reentry package will block off telemetry signals. Theradio "blackout" may last as much as 45 seconds and a specialon-board recorder with a delayed playback is provided toassure that no flight data is lost. There will be no attemptto recover the payload.The ballistic cameras which will photograph the reentryuse extremely sensitive film. The flight, therefore, will(4 be made at a time when there is the least possible light andno cloud cover. Possible launch times have been selectedto avoid twilight and moonlight hours.Because accurate data on atmospheric conditions areneeded to evaluate the results of the experiment, a seriesof at least six ARCAS sounding rockets will be launched fromBermuda before and after the Scout flight. Air temperaturesand densities in the reeentry area will be measured by thesounding rockets.

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LAUNCH VEHICLEThe basic four-stage Scout was developed by the NASALangley Research Center and became operational earlier thisyear. In the course of its development it became the firstsolid-fueled launch vehicle to place a satellite in orbit--Explorer IX on February 16, 1961. It has previously flowna reentry experiment utilizing a 17-inch spherical rocketmotor in the payload section as a fifth stage to add thevelocity needed for the required test conditions.The 72-foot, 36 ,600-pound Scout is designed to placea 240-pound satellite into a 300-mile orbit or to send a100-pound scientific package nearly 7,000 miles in a probeshot.Scout's four rocket motors, plus necessary transitionsections and guidance and control equipment, are assembledinto a complete vehicle by the Astronautics Division ofChance Vought Corporation, aerospace subsidiary of Ling-Temco-Vought, Incorporated, prime vehicle contractor forScout.Data on Scout's four stages -- Algol, Castor, Antaresand Altair (named for stars in the constellation) -- include:Algol II - Thirty feet long, 40 inches in diameter,developing 100,000 pounds of thrust, It is loaded with animproved propellant. This motor is fin stabilized andcontrolled in flight by Jet vanes. Developed by Aerojet-General Corporation, a subsidiary of General Tire and RubberCompany.Castor - Twenty feet long, 30 inches in diameter and

developiingmore than 50,000 pounds of thrust. Stabilizedand controlled by hydrogen peroxide jets. This motor hasalso been used in a cluster in NASA's Little Joe programin support of Project Mercury. Developed by the RedstoneDivision of Thiokol Chemical Corporation.Antares - Ten feet long, 30 inches in diameter and morethan 13,600 pounds of thrust. Lightweight plastic con-struction. Stabilized and controlled by hydrogen peroxideJets. Developed by the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory ofHercules Powder Company.Altair - Six feet long, 18 inches in diameter and 3 000pounds of-Thrust. This motor, formerly known as the X-248and developed for the Vanguard third stage, is spin stabilized.It is the third stage on the Delta launch vehicle and wasthe first fully developed rocket to utilize lightweight -plastic construction. Also developed by ABL.

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-5-17-Inch Rocket - This spherical rocket is not a part ofthe Scout vehicle, but is attached to the payload as a partof the reentry package to add approximately 1,300 miles anhour to the reentry speed. The 160-pound rocket providesabout 800 pounds of thrust. Developed by Naval OrdnanceTest Station, China Lake, California.Guidance and control system for the Scout was developedby the Aeronautical Division of Minneapolis-Honeywell RegulatorCompany. (Hydrogen-peroxide controls were subcontracted toWalter Kidde, Clifton, New Jersey.)

PROJECT PARTICIPANTSLangley Research Center has complete responsibility forNASA's Supercircular Reentry Research Project of which thepresent heat transfer experiment is a part. Project Manageris Andrew G. Swanson. For the heat transfer experiment,payload manager is Charles Husson. Kenneth S. Bush is systemengineer and Charles E. Feller is instrumentation engineer.

About 40 members of the Langley Research Center staff willbe involved in the experiment.(j Lt. Colonel G. R. Rupp is the Head of the Scout ProjectGroup which developed and operates the Scout launch vehicle.Robert Duffy is representing Wallops Station as Test Director.The Supercircular Reentry Research Project, for which CharlesD'Aiutolo of NASA Headquarters is Project Officer, is a partof the program of NASA's Office of Advanced Research andTechnology.

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