| NASA Center: |
Ames Research Center |
|---|
| Image # : |
A-24014 |
|---|
| Date : |
01/01/1959
|
|---|
|
Title
Atmospheric Entry Simulator at Ames
Full Description
The Atmospheric Entry Simulator at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett
Field, California.
Visible in the foreground is a large tank containing air under high
pressure. In the middle ground directly behind it is a special trumpet-
shaped nozzle, contured so that air flowing through it gradually
changes in density in the same way that the Earth's atmosphere changes
in density with altitude.
Not visible in this photograph is a high speed gun used to launch a
test model at earth re-entry speed (17,000 mph) upstream through a
special nozzle while air is flowing through it. Technicians are
adjusting the spark shadowgraph station required to make accurate
picture and time recording of the model in flight.
When a gun-launched model flies at full re-entry velocity into the
simulator nozzle, it experiences the decelerations, stresses, pressures and
temperatures of actual re-entry during a few thousandths of a second. The
simulator can quickly and economically determine in the laboratory whether a
specific design can survive atmospheric re-entry.
Keywords
Atmospheric Entry Simulator Air Density Ames Research Center
Subject Category
Flight Research at ARC, Wind Tunnels-Interior,
Reference Numbers
- Center:
AMES
- Center Number:
A-24014
- GRIN DataBase Number:
GPN-2000-001638
Source Information
- Creator/Photographer: NASA
- Original Source: DIGITAL
| Resolution | Format | Width
(Pixels) | Height
(Pixels) | Size
(KBytes) |
Thumbnail |
.jpg |
62 |
86 |
7 |
Small |
.jpg |
444 |
609 |
146 |
Medium |
.jpg |
1040 |
1428 |
701 |
Large |
.jpg |
2080 |
2856 |
2,937 |
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Updated October 31, 2002
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