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Apex Photo Gallery Contact Sheet |
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Photo Date: | July 6, 2006 |
Formats: | Low Resolution Image Contact Sheet (31497 KBytes) Medium Resolution Image Contact Sheet (31503 KBytes) High Resolution Image Contact Sheet (31513 KBytes) |
Photo Description: |
Apex |
Project Description: |
The Apex High-Altitude Flight Experiment is expected to explore the aerodynamics of controlled flight at very high altitudes near 100,000 feet. The Apex will be hoisted aloft tail-first from Dryden by a large high-altitude balloon and released at about 110,000-feet altitude. As it gradually descends, its instrumentation will collect aerodynamic data. The remotely-piloted, semi-autonomous Apex will combine a modified ASC sailplane fuselage design with a new wing designed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The wing will have a special airfoil designed for high subsonic speeds at extreme altitudes. A device extending behind the right wing is a "wake rake," which will measure aerodynamic drag behind a test section of the wing, while a rocket pack mounted beneath the fuselage will assist the Apex in transitioning to horizontal flight. Research flights were expected to begin in mid-1998, but a series of technical problems delayed them. In the spring of 1999, Apex entered mothball status. This continued for a year, and in the spring of 2000 NASA selected Apex as part of phase 1 of the Revolutionary Concepts effort. |
Keywords: | Apex; sailplane; RPV; Remotely Piloted Vehicle; high-altitude; Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
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Last Modified: July 6, 2006 |