Dryden Receives B-52H Launch Aircraft

ROCKET SCIENCE

B-52 Delivered To Dryden Ahead Of Supporting Air Drop Tests

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, received an "H" model B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on July 30, 2001. The B-52H will be used as an air-launch aircraft supporting NASA�s flight research and advanced technology demonstration efforts. Dryden received the B-52H from the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) 23rd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Wing (Air Combat Command), located at Minot AFB, N.D. A USAF crew flew the aircraft to Dryden. The aircraft, USAF tail number 61-0025, will be loaned initially, then later transferred from the USAF to NASA. The B-52H is scheduled to leave Dryden Aug. 2 for de-militarization and Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma. The depot-level maintenance is scheduled to last about six months and includes a thorough maintenance and inspection process. The newly arrived B-52H is slated to replace Dryden's famous B-52B "008," in the 2003-2004 timeframe. It will take about one year for the B-52H to be ready for flight research duties. This time includes PDM, construction of the new pylon, installation of the flight research instrumentation equipment, and aircraft envelope clearance flights.

Edwards - July 30, 2001
An "H" model B-52 Stratofortress arrived today at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The B-52H will be used as an air-launch aircraft supporting NASA's flight research and advanced technology demonstration efforts.

Dryden received the B-52H from the U.S. Air Force's (USAF) 23rd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Wing (Air Combat Command), located at Minot AFB, N.D. A USAF crew flew the aircraft to Dryden.

"We have been seeking a replacement aircraft for our existing B-52B-model for some time - it is great to see the H-model finally arrive," says Dryden Center Director Kevin Petersen. "It should provide us an excellent launch platform for the future," Petersen said.

The new air-launch aircraft will boost both NASA and USAF efforts in researching and demonstrating technologies for future access to space vehicles. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) and Dryden have a mutual Alliance that serves as a bilateral, cooperative relationship to improve service and lower cost to the internal and external customers of both.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense and the USAF are partially funding, along with NASA, a flight research instrumentation package to be installed on the aircraft, as well as other modifications to the aircraft.

The aircraft, USAF tail number 61-0025, will be loaned initially, then later transferred from the USAF to NASA.

The B-52H is scheduled to leave Dryden Aug. 2 for de-militarization and Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) at Tinker Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma. The depot-level maintenance is scheduled to last about six months and includes a thorough maintenance and inspection process.

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A new Dryden-designed pylon for the B-52H for carrying aerospace vehicles aloft will be built during the next year by the fabrication shop at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center at China Lake, Calif.

The new pylon will be a "one-pylon-fits-all" design enabling the B-52H to literally "carry-out" its mission. In the past, most new aerospace vehicles taken up by Dryden's B-52B required their own new pylon.

According to Dryden B-52H project manager Bob Jones, construction of the new pylon is designed to accept different adaptors for the variety of aerospace vehicle shapes and sizes each new Dryden project represents. Initially, the new pylon will be rated to carry a load weighing up to 25,000 pounds. Later modifications are planned to allow a load-carrying capability of over 70,000 pounds.

The newly arrived B-52H is slated to replace Dryden's famous B-52B "008," in the 2003-2004 timeframe. It will take about one year for the B-52H to be ready for flight research duties. This time includes PDM, construction of the new pylon, installation of the flight research instrumentation equipment, and aircraft envelope clearance flights.

Versatile B-52 Stratofortresses served as the backbone of Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War. As one leg of the United States' nuclear "triad" defense strategy, B-52s, able to be recalled in-flight, offered the most flexible weapons delivery platform.

Delivery of the first B-52H model aircraft to SAC occurred in May 1961 and the last was delivered in October of 1962. A total of 102 H models were built; 94 of the workhorse aircraft remain on active duty with the USAF today. Stratofortresses participated in the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and most recently in the Kosovo conflict.

ROCKET SCIENCE

X-43A Pegasus Failure Investigation Continues

Edwards - July 23, 2001
The board investigating the June 2 X-43A mission loss is continuing to meet at the Orbital Sciences Corp. facility in Chandler, Ariz., where the Pegasus-derived booster rocket used with the X-43A was built.

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