Another C-17 SLV drop demo

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ai...ecord_999.html

AirLaunch Breaks Another Drop Record
by Staff Writers
Kirkland WA (SPX) Jul 31, 2006

AirLaunch announced Friday that its industry-government team has
dropped successfully a 36-ton rocket from a C-17 cargo aircraft. The
rocket, a full-scale simulated AirLaunch QuickReach, was the largest
single object to be dropped from a C-17 as part of the DARPA/Air Force
Falcon Small Launch Vehicle Program.

The team, including technicians from Air Launch, the U.S. Air Force
Flight Test Center and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
broke its own record set just over a month ago when a simulated
QuickReach rocket that weighed 65,000 pounds was dropped out of a C-17
on June 14.

"When we learned in June that we may have another aircraft available in
as short as a month, the entire team put in extra effort to make this
drop test happen," said Debra Facktor Lepore, president of AirLaunch
LLC.

"We were particularly excited to use a C-17 borrowed from McChord Air
Force Base, located near AirLaunch's Seattle area headquarters, to
support the test flown by the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards
Air Force Base (in California)," Lepore added.

The drop was third in a series of envelope expansion tests to verify
the ability of the C-17 to safely deliver AirLaunch's full-scale,
full-weight QuickReach rocket to operational launch altitude. Each test
set a new C-17 record for the longest and heaviest single items dropped
from the aircraft.

"The team has now flown three drop tests, using three separate C-17
aircraft, demonstrating that any C-17 can be used for AirLaunch drops
and ultimately for our QuickReach launches," Lepore said. "This test
also leads to a new spacelift role for the C-17 - the aircraft can
deliver troops and humanitarian aid one day and launch a satellite the
next."

At 65.8 feet in length and a weight of 72,000 pounds, the simulated
QuickReach drop test article matches the characteristics of an
operational rocket. The unmodified C-17A aircraft released the test
article at the operational launch altitude of 32,000 feet, with a true
air speed of 330 knots.

"The launch vehicle extraction worked exactly as predicted," said
launch team member Marti Sarigul-Klijn, AirLaunch's chief engineer for
Gravity Air Launch. "Our combined AirLaunch/DARPA/Air Force team has
worked diligently to accurately predict the performance of the
simulated QuickReach rocket to assure crew and system safety."

AirLaunch's drop tests are being performed as part of the Falcon SLV
program, administered by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. The program is
developing operational responsive space launch vehicles as called for
in the United States Space Transportation Policy.

Responsive space would allow the government to react quickly and use
small satellites equipped with sensors to monitor and provide
communication for urgent military needs.

"Having a quick reaction launch system that can launch specialized
small satellites will provide the warfighter with real-time data and
communication during time-urgent situations," said Steve Walker, DARPA
program manager.

"This test demonstrates that small companies can successfully work with
government agencies to produce low cost, innovative solutions for the
warfighter," Walker added.

The Falcon SLV program goal is to develop a vehicle that can launch a
1,000 pound satellite to Low Earth Orbit for less than $5 million,
within 24 hours of notice. AirLaunch achieves responsiveness by
launching from altitude from an unmodified C-17A or other cargo
aircraft.

"We have been able to navigate our way successfully through the safety
process of dropping an inert rocket out of a C-17 by working together
with multiple government entities under a fixed price, milestone-based
agreement," said Livingston Holder, AirLaunch chief program executive.
"It shows that rapid prototyping works and that a small team like ours
can really perform in a complex environment."

Allen Thomson wrote:

SNIP



NEW PATH TO SPACE?

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency may be flight-testing an
air-launched propane-powered rocket in 2-3 years as part of its Falcon
concept to quickly and cheaply put 1,000 lb. of payload into orbit.

The novel Quick Reach I rocket was designed and may be built by the
AirLaunch consortium of companies. AirLaunch and Darpa were in
continuing negotiations last week and a company official expects a
positive outcome soon.

Air launching has a history. In 1974 a partially-fueled Minuteman ICBM
was dropped and ignited from a C-5 transport, and currently C-17s drop
solid-rocket-powered Coleman targets for ballistic missile defense
tests.

Late last month a full-scale dummy Quick Reach I was dropped out of a
USAF/Boeing C-17 here as an operational check of the concept (AW&ST
Oct. 3, p. 18). The Sept. 29 test was to ascertain if the rocket had
adequate clearance to the C-17 as it slid off the aft ramp, see if it
rotated to near the desired ignition attitude, and verify the motions
were close to prior simulations.

Four companies were in the preliminary design and development phase
(Phase 2A) of Darpa's Falcon small launch vehicle (SLV) project, which
officially ended in July though activities continue. The Falcon SLV
specification calls for enough performance to place 1,000 lb. into a
100-naut.-mi., 28.5-deg. inclination orbit from that latitude.

Darpa has not yet announced one or more winners for Phase 2B detail
design, which Darpa program manager Steven H. Walker expects will run
from fall 2005 to fall 2006. An orbital flight test would occur in a
2-2.5-year Phase 2C that may start in the first quarter of 2007, he
says. Lockheed Martin, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), and
Microcosm are the other Phase 2A participants (AW&ST June 6, p. 20;
Feb. 14, p. 21). These three companies' designs are all
ground-launched.

Walker says an advantage of an air launch is the aircraft "can fly to
the proper latitude and launch to any inclination with the least
energy. It can put things where you want them." The relatively covert
nature of a launch from an unmarked C-17 over the ocean is also of
interest.

He notes potential drawbacks are that growth is limited by the size of
the carrier aircraft, and the safety concerns about carrying and
dropping a loaded liquid rocket.

The AirLaunch consortium includes HMX, Space Vector, Delta Velocity,
Universal Space Lines, and Pacific Scientific. Gary C. Hudson is the
Falcon Phase 2 program manager at AirLaunch and cofounder of HMX, which
is designing most of the engines and tanks. He has started several
attempts to build low-cost launchers, including the now-defunct Rotary
Rocket Co. (AW&ST Oct. 25, 1991, p. 40)). Other key players include
Bevin McKinney, the Phase 2 chief technical officer and chief engineer.
He also confounded HMX and originated the Rotary Rocket concept. Marti
Sarigul-Klijn is Phase 2 chief engineer for airdrop, and designed the
technique to release the rocket from the C-17 and bring it to the
proper ignition attitude.

The 65-ft.-long, 97-in.-dia. Quick Reach I weighs up to 72,000 lb. at
ignition. The design has two stages and both use liquid propane and
liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants. The engines do not have expensive
turbopumps to drive propellants into the combustion chambers from
low-pressure tanks. Instead the tanks themselves are pressurized to
force propellant flow.

PROPANE WAS CHOSEN because it will self-pressurize to 200 psia. at a
practical 105F. That means the complexity and weight of a separate
pressurization system, typically a flask of helium, is not required.
The LOX tank similarly reaches 200 psia. at -233F. The propane/LOX
combination has a relatively high bulk density to keep the size of the
tanks small.

The engines are made of composites and slowly char inside as they run.
This ablative cooling is cheaper than standard liquid cooling with its
many fine passageways.

To keep the rocket short to fit in the C-17, the upper-stage engine is
inside the first-stage propane tank, in contact with the fuel. Normally
this engine would be in front of the first-stage tank, with the two
stages connected by unpressurized interstage structure. For stage
separation, Quick Reach I is to have a pyrotechnic cord sever the
first-stage tank wall 2 ft. below where it transitions to the
second-stage tank wall.

The first-stage engine produces an initial 171,000-lbf. vacuum thrust
and the second stage makes 24,000 lbf. Chamber pressure in both is to
be 150 psia. The engines have fixed nozzles but can vector thrust with
a novel technique.

Tank structure is mainly 5000-series aluminum with composite overwrap
of the warm propane section, where the aluminum is weaker than at the
cold LOX sections. There are common bulkheads between the tank
sections, with the propane tanks in the middle and the LOX on the ends.
The temperature difference will be 338F across the LOX-propane
bulkheads, and there will be about 1 in. of vacuum-sealed insulation on
the propane side. Similar insulation is to be on the outside of the
tanks and covered with fiberglass.

The clamshell carbon fiber fairing is to be made by Delta Velocity and
weigh about 300 lb. The avionics shelf at the top of the second stage
is to be made by Space Vector.

To make the 25,600 fps. speed of a 100-naut.-mi. orbit, the engines
need to impart about 28,500 fps. to overcome the drag and gravity
losses of an air launch, Sarigul-Klijn says. That's about 1,000 fps.
less than a ground launch, comprising about 600 fps. savings from the
air launch's altitude and speed, and 400 fps. for lower drag and
gravity losses.

AirLaunch predicts a 72,000 lb. weight at ignition is enough to put
1,400 lb. into a 100-naut.-mi. 28.5-deg. orbit from that Cape Canaveral
latitude. That's 2% of the initial weight, which is a reasonable
payload mass fraction and more than the 1,000 lb. required by Darpa.
But these estimates come from people with a track record of overly
optimistic estimates, as exemplified by Rotary Rocket. Darpa has had
independent checks made, but there is enough novelty that confidence is
questionable until hardware is built and debugged.

The novel features have tradeoffs. The pressure-fed engines are simpler
and cheaper, but the penalty is the tanks get heavier to withstand the
pressure. Using self-pressurizing propellants is clever but loses
performance. As the tanks drain and pressure drops, the fluid cools as
liquid boils into vapor, further reducing the pressure, and thrust and
efficiency drop off. The tanks are heavier than they need to be for the
lower pressure of most of the engine run.

The submerged upper-stage engine is a clever idea used in the Russian
R-27/SS-N-6 submarine-launched ballistic missile, which is also pressed
to fit in a small space. The trick is making it separate without
damaging the nozzle bell deep inside the tank or upsetting the
attitude. "It violates every separation criteria," says one rocket
expert. The bell will contact the tank with just a few degrees
misalignment. The separation is to occur at an estimated 7,765 fps. at
161,000 ft., at a dynamic pressure of 70 psf. or 144 KEAS, enough to
create significant aerodynamic forces. AirLaunch tested a pyrotechnic
cutter on a generic aluminum tank at 20 psi. and reports a clean,
straight separation that threw one half 150 ft. in the air. Hudson says
"analysis and model testing have confirmed feasibility and full-scale
testing will be performed within the program as well."

Liquid-fueled ablative engines are rare but were used on the Apollo
lunar module ascent and descent engines, the Delta II second-stage
engines, and others. They have also been chosen by Microcosm and
SpaceX. The nozzle throat is under the most stress and conditions there
should be more benign than in a solid rocket's ablative nozzle, where
the flow is more abrasive. The mild 150 psia. chamber pressure will
have a low heat flux giving low stress on the ablative, but the
downside is that makes the engine big and heavy for the same thrust.

ENGINE EFFICIENCY benefits from the air launch at 33,000 ft. Designers
want a high-expansion ratio nozzle for the maximum exhaust velocity and
efficiency, but if they only have 150 psia. chamber pressure for
lightweight tanks, then the pressure of the highly-expanded flow can
drop below atmospheric before the end of the nozzle when near sea
level, causing potentially disastrous flow separation. By starting the
engine at 33,000 ft., where pressure is 26% that of sea level, they can
have both lightweight tanks and a high-expansion nozzle without flow
separation.

In operation, the launchers will be transported on normal 53-ft.-long
tractor trailers. Minus nosecone and payload they fit completely
inside, along with most other equipment for a launch.

The rocket sits on and rolls out of the C-17 on a set of 82
17.5-in.-dia. nosewheel tires, 52 of them on a removable chassis in the
main cabin and 30 on a separate chassis on the aft ramp.

The launcher sits on the 52-wheel chassis most of the time, held down
by fore and aft chains attached to a plate near the rocket center of
gravity on each side. This chassis is fastened to the floor of the
trailer for transport and storage.

To prepare for a mission, the payload-nosecone assembly is brought in a
horizontal position to the front of the rocket, which is at the aft end
of the trailer, and attached with a clamp band. Then the trailer takes
the completed rocket to a fueling station to be filled with LOX and
propane conditioned to the proper temperatures.

To load it on the C-17, the aircraft's rear ramp is set horizontal. The
trailer is backed to the rear of the aircraft, with the nose cone
pointing into the cargo bay. Jacks on the trailer raise it to be level
with the C-17 and the aircraft's forward winch pulls the 52-wheel
chassis and attached rocket into the bay.

The conveyor chassis is then secured, usually to the center Aerial
Delivery System (ADS). The ADS has a set of guides and rollers for
sliding airdrop packages out the back, but these are not used for a
Quick Reach launch. It is the conveyor wheels that take the rocket out
the back. The final step is to put the separate 30-wheel aft conveyor
onto the rear ramp.

The rocket is extracted by a combination of gravity and a parachute,
each providing about 0.1g of acceleration. It's important the rocket
leave at a high enough speed that the nosecone doesn't jam into the
aircraft ceiling as the rocket teeters off the edge. Extraction force
is strong enough that even if one wheel jams, the launcher will leave
with sufficient speed.

The goal is to put the rocket near a vertical attitude with low angular
rates and then light the motor and let thrust vectoring maintain
stability. The pitchup to vertical is achieved by the teetering as the
rocket drops off the aft ramp. This pitch rate is halted at vertical by
a properly-sized parachute attached to the engine nozzle. Large chines
on the rocket are to make it weakly stable at 90 deg. angle of attack
(AOA) and stabilize it in body axis roll at high AOA. When pitch rate
starts to reverse, the engine fires and the chute is cut away.

The C-17 slows to fly at a 6-8 deg. nose-up angle at 33,000 ft., which
requires extending the leading edge slats. Airspeed will be about 190
KEAS.

The chute is deployed, the chains holding the rocket are released, and
it slides out, reaching about 30 fps. as it exits 5 sec. after release.
The rocket reaches maximum pitch attitude about 3 sec. later and the
motor fires. The rocket falls about 750 ft. before it starts climbing,
and when it recrosses drop altitude 15 sec. after leaving the aircraft
the C-17 is 1,300 ft. ahead, Sarigul-Klijn says.

He studied the effects of the rocket blowing up at ignition, with data
from an Atlas/Centaur pad explosion, and concluded debris should miss
the aircraft by at least a fuselage length. To prevent the rocket from
flying into the aircraft, a separate flight safety system with an
independent attitude source cuts the thrust if attitude or trajectory
limits are exceeded.

C-17 officials were worried about the launcher nose hitting the cabin
roof as it fell out, the rocket getting stuck on the way out and
throwing off the aircraft center of gravity, and other concerns.
AirLaunch conducted a full-scale ground test at Mojave, Calif., with a
dummy rocket on the conveyor wheels. It was successful and closely
matched Sarigul-Klijn's simulations. "What got us on the aircraft was
the ground demonstration in Mojave," he says.

I observed the Sept. 29 drop test here from the ground. The drop
conditions were 145 kt. at about 8,500 ft., with a deck angle of 6.1
deg. when the chains were released. By the time the 50,000-lb. dummy
rocket reached the exit the C-17 had pitched up to 8.6 deg. due to the
aft shift in center of gravity, and reached a maximum of 8.8 deg.,
Sarigul-Klijn says. That was a little more than the 7.5 deg. maximum
expected.

The rocket rolled along the wheels without incident, though there was
brief rubber squealing and large lateral tire deflection as all the
weight was concentrated on the last sets of tires just before the
rocket fell out, taking them well beyond their normal rated load of
3,750 lb. One outer tire on each of the last two rows had little marks
on the sidewalls.

THE LAST THREE rows have the wheels doubled--four per row--to handle
the extra load. Strain gauges indicated the load was less than
expected, probably due to the higher C-17 pitch rate.

A main concern--clearance of the nose to the cabin roof--appears to be
acceptable. It was predicted to miss by 36 in., which is just 4 in.
less than the clearance when loading the launcher on the ground. But
video to confirm this had not been given to AirLaunch as of Oct. 18.

The rocket reached a maximum pitch angle of 67 deg., close to the
predicted 65 deg., and the parachute released properly when the onboard
gyros sensed pitch rate reversal. One unexpected motion was a body axis
yaw to the left, which had reached 17 deg. when the chute released. The
yaw continued through the rocket pointing nose-down. Sarigul-Klijn
believes this is due to asymmetric nose vortices and can be
aerodynamically fixed, but is within the capability of thrust vectoring
to recover.

More C-17 flights are expected in 2006, working the weight up to 72,000
lb. and the drop altitude to 33,000 ft.

Didn't the Air Force drop a 79,000 lb. Minuteman ICBM from an airplane and
then launch it while in-flight years ago?

WDA

end

"Allen Thomson" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ai...ecord_999.html

AirLaunch Breaks Another Drop Record
by Staff Writers
Kirkland WA (SPX) Jul 31, 2006

AirLaunch announced Friday that its industry-government team has
dropped successfully a 36-ton rocket from a C-17 cargo aircraft. The
rocket, a full-scale simulated AirLaunch QuickReach, was the largest
single object to be dropped from a C-17 as part of the DARPA/Air Force
Falcon Small Launch Vehicle Program.

The team, including technicians from Air Launch, the U.S. Air Force
Flight Test Center and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
broke its own record set just over a month ago when a simulated
QuickReach rocket that weighed 65,000 pounds was dropped out of a C-17
on June 14.

"When we learned in June that we may have another aircraft available in
as short as a month, the entire team put in extra effort to make this
drop test happen," said Debra Facktor Lepore, president of AirLaunch
LLC.

"We were particularly excited to use a C-17 borrowed from McChord Air
Force Base, located near AirLaunch's Seattle area headquarters, to
support the test flown by the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards
Air Force Base (in California)," Lepore added.

The drop was third in a series of envelope expansion tests to verify
the ability of the C-17 to safely deliver AirLaunch's full-scale,
full-weight QuickReach rocket to operational launch altitude. Each test
set a new C-17 record for the longest and heaviest single items dropped
from the aircraft.

"The team has now flown three drop tests, using three separate C-17
aircraft, demonstrating that any C-17 can be used for AirLaunch drops
and ultimately for our QuickReach launches," Lepore said. "This test
also leads to a new spacelift role for the C-17 - the aircraft can
deliver troops and humanitarian aid one day and launch a satellite the
next."

At 65.8 feet in length and a weight of 72,000 pounds, the simulated
QuickReach drop test article matches the characteristics of an
operational rocket. The unmodified C-17A aircraft released the test
article at the operational launch altitude of 32,000 feet, with a true
air speed of 330 knots.

"The launch vehicle extraction worked exactly as predicted," said
launch team member Marti Sarigul-Klijn, AirLaunch's chief engineer for
Gravity Air Launch. "Our combined AirLaunch/DARPA/Air Force team has
worked diligently to accurately predict the performance of the
simulated QuickReach rocket to assure crew and system safety."

AirLaunch's drop tests are being performed as part of the Falcon SLV
program, administered by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. The program is
developing operational responsive space launch vehicles as called for
in the United States Space Transportation Policy.

Responsive space would allow the government to react quickly and use
small satellites equipped with sensors to monitor and provide
communication for urgent military needs.

"Having a quick reaction launch system that can launch specialized
small satellites will provide the warfighter with real-time data and
communication during time-urgent situations," said Steve Walker, DARPA
program manager.

"This test demonstrates that small companies can successfully work with
government agencies to produce low cost, innovative solutions for the
warfighter," Walker added.

The Falcon SLV program goal is to develop a vehicle that can launch a
1,000 pound satellite to Low Earth Orbit for less than $5 million,
within 24 hours of notice. AirLaunch achieves responsiveness by
launching from altitude from an unmodified C-17A or other cargo
aircraft.

"We have been able to navigate our way successfully through the safety
process of dropping an inert rocket out of a C-17 by working together
with multiple government entities under a fixed price, milestone-based
agreement," said Livingston Holder, AirLaunch chief program executive.
"It shows that rapid prototyping works and that a small team like ours
can really perform in a complex environment."

"W. D. Allen" wrote in message
...
Didn't the Air Force drop a 79,000 lb. Minuteman ICBM from an airplane and
then launch it while in-flight years ago?




http://www.loadmasters.com/loader_is...er_15Nov00.pdf
THE BIG STICK

By Henry J. (Hank) Hunter

“Tread softly and carry a big stick”. These

words of President Theodore Roosevelt took

on new meaning in the early 1970s as the

US and the USSR dueled for Cold War advantage

in ICBM strike capability.

The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT

I) provided that each superpower could upgrade

its ICBM arsenal. The US superiority

in large cargo aircraft and airdrop capability

provided the means for a technological

breakthrough in this war of nerves. By utilizing

the C-5A’s airdrop capability to provide

an invulnerable ICBM launch mode. The

US would no longer have to rely only on land

based ICBMs as part of our strategic TRIAD.

An airmobile launch platform would make

an effective preemptive strike against retaliatory

capability impossible. The US would

have its’ “Big Stick”.

Seventy days before the

SALT II talks were to begin in

late October 1974, the Airmobile

Feasibility demonstration of

a Minuteman missile air-launch

from a C-5A airplane was initiated.

Simulation studies, based

on test data from an extensive

airdrop test program conducted

on C-5A aircraft by the 6511th

Test Group (Parachute) and the

Army in 1970-72, indicated that,

with special hardware, 70,000

lb. platform airdrops could be

made routinely, and airdrops of

up to 100,000 lb. were possible.

Aeronautical Systems Division

(ASD) of Wright-Patterson

AFB was program manager and

the National Parachute Test

Range in El Centro, CA would

be the air-launch test organization.

Space and Missile Systems

Organization (SAMSO),

Hill AFB, and Boeing Aircraft Co.

with several other sub contractors would

prepare the Minuteman missiles both inert

and live versions. The C-5A would be flown

by Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) and

Lockheed Georgia Co. test pilots and flight

test engineers. A 6511th Test Group airdrop

test engineer and Loadmasters and MAC

Loadmasters completed the flight crews.

The entire Airmobile Feasibility Demonstration

program consisted of 21 tests conducted

at the National Parachute Test

Range; except for the second inert missile

launch and the live missile air-launch, which

were conducted over the over the Pacific

ocean ,15 miles west of Vandenberg AFB,.

These 21 tests included 5 extraction parachute

tow tests, seven platform airdrop build

-up tests of loads from 45.000 lb. to 85.000

lb. were then conducted to verify aircraft stability

data and test the parachute systems.

On the third build-up test, a 55.000 lb. platform

was extracted by a single 32 ft. ribbon

chute and recovered by 10 each 100 ft. G-l

I cargo chutes. This was believed to be the

heaviest load airdropped and recovered to

date. Two inert Minuteman I missile airlaunches

were also conducted. The final live

air-launch used a live first stage motor designed

to burn for 10 seconds at maximum

thrust.

Several special or unique pieces of loading

equipment and parachute hardware

were needed due to the size and weight of

the minuteman missile and its launch cradle/

platform. A larger version of the Marshall/

Hunter separator plate clevis were used in

the extraction and stabilization systems and

a special floor mounted anchor line was fabricated

by the 6511th from webbing. along

which steel slide rings rode to activate the

guillotine knife system for the drops, and to

activate the timing system for the missile

air-launches. A Ballistic Missile Transporter

(BMT) was used for loading the build-up platforms

that exceeded 55.000 lb. and for all

three Minutemen missiles. A specially designed

“strongback” was installed on the C-

5A cargo floor centerline. forward of the missile

and restrained with tiedown chairs. The

missile was restrained to the “strongback”

by steel rods. which would be removed inflight

at the 75 minute warning prior to the

air-launch.

For the final live missile air-launch, the 56

foot long Minuteman missile and cradle/platform

assembly weighted 85.325 lb. The two

32 ft. ribbon extraction parachutes would

provide approximately 70,000 lb. of extraction

force. The three missile stabilization 32

ft. ribbon parachutes were pressure packed

and had been positioned on the forward end

(in the aircraft) of the type V platform.

The Minuteman missile that was to be airlaunched

was an LGM-30B missile consisting

of an inert second stage motor and reentry

vehicle, a dummy third stage motor,

an operational guidance system, and a “live”

first stage motor with a 10 second burn at

max. thrust with a 20 second thrust tail-off.

A crew of 13 flew on the final air-launch.

They included 2 Lockheed test pilots, a flight

engineer and 2 flight test engineers: I AFFTC

test pilot and one 6511th airdrop test engineer;

2 MAC and one 6511th Loadmaster:

and 1 Space Vector and I Boeing engineer.

A special challenge-response flight crew

checklist had been developed for the program

and some of the key checkpoints are

listed below. With the C-5A airborne, an 85

minute warning was given,

at which time the missile

guidance system was

checked by the Space Vector

crew member. At the 75

minute warning a safety inspection

was made. The longitudinal

restraint rods between

the missile and the

“strongback” were removed,

as were the vertical restraint

bands and the safe-ing pin.

The arm plug was also installed

at this time.

At 8 minutes prior to airlaunch,

the instrumentation

was given a final check, At

the 3 minute warning, the

left hand rail locks were

armed, the missile guidance

power switch was moved to

the internal position, and all

personnel prepared for airlaunch.

One minute prior to

air-launch, clearance was received from the

Range controller to proceed. At thirty seconds

prior to launch the extraction parachute

release mechanism was armed. At ten seconds,

the missile guidance platform No. One

was uncaged, and the countdown started

at 5 seconds. At zero time the extraction

parachutes were released.

The extraction parachutes inflated evenly,

the missile accelerated quickly out of the C-

5A, and then 4 seconds later separated

smoothly from the cradle/platform. The 3

stabilization chutes were deployed as the

cradle/platform was decelerated by the ex-

traction parachute, and they inflated to stabilize

the missile as it gently swung towards

a vertical descent. Standing on the C-5A

ramp we could see the missile, suspended

below the 3 chutes, disappear into a dense

cloud cover about 10,000 feet below us.

Shortly thereafter the missile’s first stage

motor ignited after the stabilization chutes

had separated from it. The Minuteman missile

descended to about 7,600 feet AGL,

then began to climb.

We could see the missile then come up

through the clouds and climb to approximately

our flight altitude of 20,000, several

miles to our rear. What a sight it was! We

knew at that moment that we had accomplished

what we set out to do 70 days before.

What’s more; it was all recorded by

onboard cameras, chase planes, and

ground based cameras. Mr. Kissinger would

have a copy of all our coverage the next day

to take with him to the SALT II talks. He

now had his “Big Stick”.

Unlike some of our other secret technological

breakthroughs, this one was widely

publicized. As retired AF General Ira C.

Eaker once put it: “Weapons developments

kept secret from the enemy can have little

effect either upon diplomacy or war deterrence”.

For their efforts on this program, the Dept.

of the Air Force awarded each of the flight

crews and other key personnel, the Meritorious

Service Medal. The citation read in

part, for... “One of the most remarkable

peacetime achievements in the history of

the Armed Services.”

But it all could not have happened without

a concerted effort by many people from

several different organizations each of them

experts in their particular fields; from managers,

to engineers, to riggers to Loadmasters.

All pulling together to make it happen.



WDA

end

"Allen Thomson" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Ai...ecord_999.html

AirLaunch Breaks Another Drop Record
by Staff Writers
Kirkland WA (SPX) Jul 31, 2006

AirLaunch announced Friday that its industry-government team has
dropped successfully a 36-ton rocket from a C-17 cargo aircraft. The
rocket, a full-scale simulated AirLaunch QuickReach, was the largest
single object to be dropped from a C-17 as part of the DARPA/Air Force
Falcon Small Launch Vehicle Program.

The team, including technicians from Air Launch, the U.S. Air Force
Flight Test Center and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
broke its own record set just over a month ago when a simulated
QuickReach rocket that weighed 65,000 pounds was dropped out of a C-17
on June 14.

"When we learned in June that we may have another aircraft available in
as short as a month, the entire team put in extra effort to make this
drop test happen," said Debra Facktor Lepore, president of AirLaunch
LLC.

"We were particularly excited to use a C-17 borrowed from McChord Air
Force Base, located near AirLaunch's Seattle area headquarters, to
support the test flown by the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards
Air Force Base (in California)," Lepore added.

The drop was third in a series of envelope expansion tests to verify
the ability of the C-17 to safely deliver AirLaunch's full-scale,
full-weight QuickReach rocket to operational launch altitude. Each test
set a new C-17 record for the longest and heaviest single items dropped
from the aircraft.

"The team has now flown three drop tests, using three separate C-17
aircraft, demonstrating that any C-17 can be used for AirLaunch drops
and ultimately for our QuickReach launches," Lepore said. "This test
also leads to a new spacelift role for the C-17 - the aircraft can
deliver troops and humanitarian aid one day and launch a satellite the
next."

At 65.8 feet in length and a weight of 72,000 pounds, the simulated
QuickReach drop test article matches the characteristics of an
operational rocket. The unmodified C-17A aircraft released the test
article at the operational launch altitude of 32,000 feet, with a true
air speed of 330 knots.

"The launch vehicle extraction worked exactly as predicted," said
launch team member Marti Sarigul-Klijn, AirLaunch's chief engineer for
Gravity Air Launch. "Our combined AirLaunch/DARPA/Air Force team has
worked diligently to accurately predict the performance of the
simulated QuickReach rocket to assure crew and system safety."

AirLaunch's drop tests are being performed as part of the Falcon SLV
program, administered by DARPA and the U.S. Air Force. The program is
developing operational responsive space launch vehicles as called for
in the United States Space Transportation Policy.

Responsive space would allow the government to react quickly and use
small satellites equipped with sensors to monitor and provide
communication for urgent military needs.

"Having a quick reaction launch system that can launch specialized
small satellites will provide the warfighter with real-time data and
communication during time-urgent situations," said Steve Walker, DARPA
program manager.

"This test demonstrates that small companies can successfully work with
government agencies to produce low cost, innovative solutions for the
warfighter," Walker added.

The Falcon SLV program goal is to develop a vehicle that can launch a
1,000 pound satellite to Low Earth Orbit for less than $5 million,
within 24 hours of notice. AirLaunch achieves responsiveness by
launching from altitude from an unmodified C-17A or other cargo
aircraft.

"We have been able to navigate our way successfully through the safety
process of dropping an inert rocket out of a C-17 by working together
with multiple government entities under a fixed price, milestone-based
agreement," said Livingston Holder, AirLaunch chief program executive.
"It shows that rapid prototyping works and that a small team like ours
can really perform in a complex environment."