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X-40 is on the mark
Public Affairs Specialist The X-40A was lifted by an Army Chinook helicopter Dec. 8, completed the captive-carry flight, and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet above ground level at Edwards Air Force Base. Flight objectives were to conduct functional tests and practice procedures for the future release of the X-40A. A total of seven free flights are planned for early 2001. Preliminary data indicate the flight went well. Other test points were radar altimeter checks, runway approaches, and data collection. The Boeing-built X-40A is on loan from the Air Force, which flew it once in 1998. NASA is using the X-40A to test the shape, guidance, and other systems for the X-37, which eventually will be launched into space in a Space Shuttle and autonomously return to Earth to test technologies for reusable launch vehicles. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., NASA's lead center for space transportation systems development, manages the X-37. Dryden is responsible for the X-37/X-40A flight research activities. |
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Responsible NASA Official: John Childress For questions, contact: Dryden Web Group Page Curator:WD-Team Modified: December 28, 2000 |
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