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LOGS: White
Knight and SS1 · White
Knight · SS1 Ground Tests · Engine
Tests
SpaceShipOne
Ground Test
The ground test program for SpaceShipOne,
including rocket propulsion integration, has been
active since the summer of 02. As of May 03, SpaceShipOne
had completed most structural tests and systems qualification
tests. Tests remaining to qualify the ship for glide
testing are cabin pressure proof tests, some control
system proof tests, additional landing gear functional
tests and the GVT program. The following includes
tests after mid May 03, updated periodically.
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| Date: |
8 - 21 Oct 2003 |
Horizontal Tail Modification Aerodynamic
Tests |
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| Objectives: |
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| SpaceShipOne, being the first manned
winged aircraft with outboard horizontal tails, is a bit of a pioneer. The
outboard tail operating in an upwash flow-field, is significantly more effective
than a conventional tail. However, its span traverses the main wing's tip
vortex and thus sees a non-uniform angle of attack. Our CFD analysis was
not complete enough to predict the tail's airflow separation, which led
to the nose rise departure during aft-cg stall testing (Flight # 37L / 06G).
In response, Scaled conducted full-scale "wind tunnel" tests of
the SS1 boom-tail using a modified Ford-250 pickup truck to provide the
necessary flow field. A couple pictures of the test set-up is shown in the
"photos" section. The purpose of these tests was to examine various
changes to SpaceShipOne's tail assembly to provide for better horizontal
tail lift and tail lift-slope characteristics.
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| Results: |
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| The testing conducted from 8 to 21
October successfully validated several aerodynamic fixes to solve the tail
stall problem. The fixes were first flown on Flight 38L / 07G. |
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| Date: |
14-24 July 2003 |
System Tests |
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| Objectives: |
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| System level qualification
tests for several subsystems |
| Results: |
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| Completed landing gear qualification
tests, brake tests and low speed taxi tests. Required changing the
nose skid material to prevent excessive wear. Finalized cabin proof
pressure test and leak rate tests. Completed structural load tests
of the horizontal stabilizer, flight control system and feather mechanism.
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| Date: |
24 Jun - 09 Jul 03 |
System Tests |
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| Objectives: |
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| To ensure the as-built systems
meet the vehicle design requirements |
| Results: |
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| Landing gear functional tests
completed. Flight control system and structural qualification tests
completed. Flight test data calibrations completed. |
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| Date: |
21-23 May 03 |
Ground Vibration Testing
(flutter qualification) |
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| Objectives: |
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| To update the stiffness and
mass distributions of the SpaceShipOne structural model so the analytical
predictions match the actual vehicle frequency and modal response
to a series of different forced vibrations. Since most flutter issues
are critical for the rocket-powered flight tests, a rocket motor CTN
was installed in SpaceShipOne for the GVT shake testing. The motor
was one that had been fired for 15 seconds so its remaining fuel mass
best represented that for the max-q portion of the boost flight. |
| Results: |
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| The entire ship was hung on
springs for the tests. The shakes were completed on schedule. The
flutter analysis is in-work. |
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