| NASA Center: |
Dryden Flight Research Center |
|---|
| Image # : |
ECN-8607 |
|---|
| Date : |
01/01/1977
|
|---|
|
Title
Shuttle Enterprise Free Flight
Full Description
The Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise flies free after being released from
NASA's 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Rogers Dry Lakebed during the
second of five free flights carried out at the Dryden Flight Research Center,
Edwards, California, as part of the Shuttle program's Approach and Landing Tests
(ALT). The tests were conducted to verify orbiter aerodynamics and handling
characteristics in preparation for orbital flights with the Space Shuttle
Columbia beginning in April 1981. A tail cone over the main engine area of
Enterprise smoothed out turbulent air flow during flight. It was removed on the
two last free flights to accurately check approach and landing characteristics.
A series of test flights during which Enterprise was taken aloft atop the SCA,
but was not released, preceded the free flight tests. The Space Shuttle Approach
and Landing Tests (ALT) program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the
Space Shuttle and the modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) handled
during low-speed flight and landing.
The Enterprise, a prototype of the Space Shuttles, and the SCA were flown to
conduct the approach and landing tests at the NASA Dryden Flight Research
Center, Edwards, California, from February to October 1977. The first flight of
the program consisted of the Space Shuttle Enterprise attached to the Shuttle
Carrier Aircraft. These flights were to determine how well the two vehicles flew
together.
Five "captive-inactive" flights were flown during this first phase in which
there was no crew in the Enterprise. The next series of captive flights was
flown with a flight crew of two on board the prototype Space Shuttle. Only three
such flights proved necessary.
This led to the free-flight test series. The free-flight phase of the ALT
program allowed pilots and engineers to learn how the Space Shuttle handled in
low-speed flight and landing attitudes. For these landings, the Enterprise was
flown by a crew of two after it was released from the top of the SCA. The
vehicle was released at altitudes ranging from 19,000 to 26,000 feet. The
Enterprise had no propulsion system, but its first four glides to the Rogers Dry
Lake runway provided realistic, in-flight simulations of how subsequent
Space Shuttles would be flown at the end of an orbital mission. The
fifth approach and landing test, with the Enterprise landing on the
Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway, revealed a problem with the
Space Shuttle flight control system that made it susceptible to
Pilot-Induced Oscillation (PIO), a potentially dangerous control
problem during a landing. Further research using other NASA
aircraft, especially the F-8 Digital-Fly-By-Wire aircraft, led to
correction of the PIO problem before the first orbital flight. The
Enterprise's last free-flight was October 26, 1977, after which it was
ferried to other NASA centers for ground-based flight simulations
that tested Space Shuttle systems and structure.
Keywords
Space Shuttle Enterprise Shuttle Carrier Aircraft SCA Boeing 747 Dryden Edwards
Subject Category
Space Shuttle,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
DFRC
- Center Number:
ECN-8607
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-000218
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
(Pixels) | Height
(Pixels) | Size
(KBytes) |
Thumbnail |
.jpg |
90 |
70 |
11 |
Small |
.jpg |
640 |
501 |
257 |
Medium |
.jpg |
1500 |
1174 |
1,365 |
Large |
.jpg |
3000 |
2348 |
5,358 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
• History Questions: NASA History Office
• Responsible NASA Official: Steve Garber
• Author: Michael Hahn. Editor: Dwayne A. Day
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