| NASA Center: |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
|---|
| Image # : |
EC64-404 |
|---|
| Date : |
01/01/1964
|
|---|
|
Title
M2-F1 In Tow Flight
Full Description
The M2-F1 lifting body is seen here under tow at the Flight Research
Center (later redesignated the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards,
California.
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. These initial tests produced enough flight
data about the M2-F1 to proceed with flights behind a NASA C-47 tow
plane at greater altitudes. The C-47 took the craft to an altitude of
12,000 feet where free flights back to Rogers Dry Lake began.
Keywords
M2-F1 Lifting Body Dale Reed Pontiac Catalina Milt Thompson C-47 NASA Flight Research Center
Subject Category
Lifting Bodies, Top 20 Dryden Aircraft,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
DFRC
- Center Number:
EC64-404
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-000139
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
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Medium |
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1,513 |
Large |
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3000 |
2348 |
6,141 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
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