On Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:07:36 -0700, Fred J. McCall
wrote:


They do better to build a scale model and run time in a hypersonic
wind tunnel. At least that way they'd get a decent first
approximation of the flow fields around the vehicle. I honestly don't
see what this 'test shot' will tell them that they can actually use.

If one were to actually look, there has been a fairly extensive
aerodynamic database development program, which includes both wind
tunnel tests and CFD simulations over the flight trajectory.
Correlating/correcting sunstantially subscale wind tunnel data to full
scale flight data in itself is not necessarily a trivial exercise, nor
an exact science.

Does anyone remember the last new launch vehicle which NASA was even
remotely associated with? Exactly how did the ATK ALV-X1 preform, and
what were the findings of the ATK accident investigation?