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A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter slowly lowers the X-40 sub-scale technology demonstrator to the ground under the watchful eyes of ground crew at the conclusion of a captive-carry test flight. A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter slowly lowers the X-40 sub-scale technology demonstrator to the ground under the watchful eyes of ground crew at the conclusion of a captive-carry test flight.

Photo Number: EC00-0362-8
Photo Date: December 8, 2000

Formats: 458x640 JPEG Image (92 KBytes)
917x1280 JPEG Image (627 KBytes)
2400x3350 JPEG Image (6,170 KBytes)

Description: A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter slowly lowers the X-40 sub-scale technology demonstrator to the ground under the watchful eyes of ground crew at the conclusion of a captive-carry test flight at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Several captive-carry flights were conducted to check out all operating systems and procedures before the X-40 made its first free flight at Edwards, gliding to a fully-autonomous approach and landing on the Edwards runway. The X-40 is an unpowered 82 percent scale version of the X-37, a Boeing-developed spaceplane designed to demonstrate various advanced technologies for development of future lower-cost access to space vehicles. Flight tests of the X-40 are designed to reduce the risks associated with research flights of the larger, more complex X-37.

NASA Photo by: Tom Tschida

Keywords: X-40; X-40A; sub-scale technology demonstrator; X-37; U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter; captive-carry test flight; stabilization parachute; low cost access-to-space vehicles


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