P-51B Testing in the 16-Foot Wind Tunnel
Above: During April 1943 at the height of World War II, North American Aviation flew a P-51B to NACA’s Ames Aeronautical Laboratory at Moffett Field, California, to determine why, at high speeds, there was a severe rumbling in the fighter plane’s cooling ducts. From inside the cockpit, the duct rumble was so severe that many pilots thought the aircraft was having a structural failure. NACA and North American engineers rode in the cockpit in the wind tunnel to validate the duct rumble. Right: Airflow over the fuselage and into the radiator inlet duct was studied using tufts in the 16-foot High Speed Wind Tunnel, which simulated speeds up to 500 mph. A number of changes were made to the air scoop, and the upper lip of the inlet was lowered out of the wing/fuselage boundary layer thereby eliminating the duct rumble.
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Martin Luther King Day
January
New Year’s Day
December 2009 S M T W T F S 6 13 20 27
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February 2010 S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28
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Transonic and Supersonic Wind Tunnel Testing
Above: Charles Lorem ipsum dolor Hall was sit amet, instrumental consectetur in modifying adipisicingthe elit, 6-sed by 6-foot do eiusmod tempor incididunt supersonic wind tunnel ut labore (Building et dolore 226)magna to enable aliqua. tests Utatenim transonic ad minim speeds. veniam, Hall’s suggested quis nostrud modifications exercitation allowed ullamco the laboris tunnel to nisirun ut at aliquip speeds ex ea commodo consequat. between Mach 0.65 Duis to Mach aute irure 2.2. Hall dolorwas in reprehenderit photographedininvoluptate February velit esse cillum 1957 with Ames dolorewind eu fugiat tunnel nulla model pariatur. AR2, which Excepteur was used sint occaecat to study acupiwing datat non proident, modification knownsunt as conical in culpa camber. qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod Right: In the tempor mid-1950s, incididunt John ut W. labore “Jack” et dolore Boyd was magna studying aliqua. how Ut conical enim ad minim veniam, camber affectedquis triangular nostrud and exercitation sweptbackullamco wing configurations. laboris nisi utBoyd’s aliquip ex ea commodo career at Ames consequat. is still going Duis strong aute irure in thedolor new in millennium. reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id
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Valentine’s Day
President’s Day
February
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March 2010
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Lifting Body Development Tests
Above: In 1962, a model of the M-2 lifting body was subject to simulated reentry tests in Ames’ atmospheric entry simulator, which was located on the west side of the 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel. Right: Prior to flight testing, the M-2 lifting body was put through its paces in the 40- by 80-foot wind tunnel. Knowledge gained from flying a variety of lifting bodies was incorporated into the Space Shuttle. The M-2 made its first flight, launched from the NASA B-52 mothership, in the skies over the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California on July 12, 1966.
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Daylight Savings Begins
March
St. Patrick’s Day
February 2010 S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28
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April 2010 S 6 13 20 27
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Flight Simulators at Ames
Above: One of the first computerized flight simulators at Ames was this two- degree of freedom (pitch and roll) built in 1958. This now-crude looking simulator enabled more sophisticated generations of simulators to be built at Ames, culminating with today’s Vertical Motion Simulator and the Crew Vehicle Systems Research Facility. Right: In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Ames researchers designed and built this Apollo capsule simulator for use in developing techniques and computer algorithms for navigating to the Moon.
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Earth Day
March 2010 S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
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May 2010 S 6 13 20 27
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Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (QSRA)
Above and right: The Quiet Short-haul Research Aircraft (QSRA) was a proof-of-concept aircraft demonstrating powered lift where engine exhaust is blown over the top of the wing to create additional lift. When the QSRA was tested aboard the USS Kitty Hawk in July 1980, with the ship traveling at 30 knots, the aircraft was able to land in less than 300 feet and take off in less than 200 feet. The engines’ position on the wing also reduced the aircraft’s nose signature. Ames completed testing of the QSRA in 1994.
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Mother’s Day
Memorial Day
May
April 2009 S M T W T 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
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June 2010 S 3 10 17 24
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Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO)
Above and right: Named for astronomer Gerard P. Kuiper, the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) was a 20-year astronomical project (1974 to 1994) using a Lockheed C-141 cargo aircraft fitted with a 1-meter (36-inch) infrared telescope forward of the wing. Using a variety of instruments, teams aboard KAO discovered rings around the planet Uranus while flying over the Indian Ocean, water in Jupiter’s atmosphere and in comets, confirmation of water molecules on Jupiter’s moon Io, as well as early evidence of a black hole at the Galactic Center. The KAO was parked in 1994, and its funding diverted to the development of the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a 747SP fitted with a 2.5 meter (8.2-feet) infrared telescope.
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Father’s Day
June
May 2010 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
July 2010 S M T W T 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
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Ames Wind Tunnel Research Facilities
Above: Mid-1970s view of the wind tunnels at NASA Ames showing (clockwise from center): the 40- by 80-foot, the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex 80- by 120-foot wind tunnel, the 6- by 6-foot supersonic wind tunnel, 3.5-foot hypersonic wind tunnel, the Unitary-Plan wind tunnel (8- by 7- foot, 9- by 7- foot and 11- by 11-foot tunnels), both 7- by 10-foot tunnels, and the 14-foot wind tunnel. Right: Blended wing/body concept aircraft model in the 11-foot wind tunnel.
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Independence Day
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June 2010 S M T 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29
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August 2010 S 5 12 19 26
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1990s Airborne Science Fleet
Above: NASA’s DC-8-72 was based at Ames Research Center and flew sensor development and verification missions, and was the primary platform for numerous Earth surface and atmosphere studies. The aircraft’s ability to carry more than 30,000 pounds of scientific equipment and its range of 5,400 nautical miles makes it a very versatile research platform. Right: NASA Ames Research Center operated a wide variety of science and aerodynamic research aircraft, clockwise from top center: the Lockheed C-141 Kuiper Airborne Observatory, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Northrop T-38 Talon, Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, Beech King Air, Lockheed YO3A, Lockheed ER-2, McDonnell-Douglas AV-8 Harrier, Bell AH-1 Cobra, LearJet, and Douglas DC-8.
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August
July 2010 S M T W T 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29
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September 2010 S 3 10 17 24 31
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Aviation Safety Research Facilities
Above: The NASA Ames Human Systems Integration Division advances human-centered design and operations of complex aerospace systems through analysis, experimentation, and modeling of human performance and human-automation interaction to make dramatic improvements in safety, efficiency, and mission success. Here, research subjects in a modern jetliner cockpit simulator perform tasks during an aviation-related human factors fatigue study. Right: The Crew-Vehicle Systems Research Facility (CVSRF) is used by NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and industry to study how and why aviation accidents occur and how to prevent them in the future. The CVSRF has full-range of motion aircraft simulators, as well as an advanced concepts flight simulator and an Air Traffic Control Laboratory that interfaces with the simulators.
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September
August 2010 S 1 8 15 22 29
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October 2010 S 7 14 21 28
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Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)
Above: NASA Ames is home to the Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Science Center. SOFIA is a joint venture between the United States and Germany, where the flying observatory’s 17-ton telescope was built. The telescope was transported to Ames, where it was silvered, shown above, in the SOFIA Science Center’s mirror coating facility. The flying observatory will enter its second period of flight testing in early 2010. Right: SOFIA, seen with its predecessor – the Kuiper Airborne Observatory parked to the rear, visited Ames Research Center in January 2008. After its display at Ames, SOFIA departed for its new base of operations at the Dryden Aircraft Operating Facility (DAOF) at the Palmdale Airport in Southern California.
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Halloween
Columbus Day
October
September 2010 S M T W 1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29
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November 2010 S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
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NASA Ames Rotorcraft Research
Above: NASA Ames has a long history of rotorcraft and vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL) aircraft development beginning in the early 1960s. Today, Ames operates this UH-60 (NASA 750) Rotorcraft Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory, or RASCAL, seen fitted with an infrared camera mount on NASA Ames flightline under a “Blue” Moon. Right: The Ames/Army Bell XV-15 tiltrotor was a partnership between the Army and the space agency beginning in 1970. Each entity put up $25 million, and on May 3, 1977, the prototype XV-15 flew for the first time. The XV-15 proof-of-concept aircraft’s success led directly to the development of today’s V-22 Osprey.
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November
Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving Day
October 2010 S M T W T F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31
December 2010 S 2 9 16 23 30
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High Performance Computing Visualization
Above: High rendered computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of the NASA shuttle in accent configuration displayed on the 128 screen hyperwall2 at the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division. The hyperwall2, measuring 23’ wide by 10’ high, has 128 screens, each with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels for a total of 250 billion pixels of resolution. Running these displays is a 1,024 core, 128-node GPU cluster with 74 teraflops of processing power. The hyperwall2 is capabile of large-scale rendering as well as concurrent visualization. Right: A CFD rendering of the space shuttle.
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Christmas Day
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January 2011
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Sponsors This calendar was made possible by the generous donations of the following NASA Ames Contractor Council members:
Mission Critical Technologies, Inc.
STINGER GHAFFARIAN TECHNOLOGIES Achieving Results . . . Exceeding Expectations
Aecom Design ASANI Solutions LLC ASRC Research and Technology Solutions, Inc. Bay Systems Consulting Inc. Booz Allen Hamilton the Collaborative Computer Science Corporation
Eloret Corporation IAP World Services Integrated Science Solutions Inc. Intrinsyx Technologies Corporation Jacobs Technology Inc. Lockheed Martin Mission Critical Technologies Inc. Perot Systems
Science Applications International Corporation Sectek Inc. Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies Tessada and Associates, Inc. Unisys USRA
Ames Contractor Council
photo credit: Brett Casadonte
Coordinator
Elisa Taube, Booz Allen Hamilton
Design and Content
Brett Casadonte, The Casadonte Group LLC Nick Veronico
Production and Sales Support
Saba Shaikh, Mission Critical Technologies (MCT)
The Ames Contractor Council is proud to share this collection of images depicting the history of aeronautics research at NASA Ames Research Center. The Ames Contractor Council will use the proceeds from the sale of this calendar to support education and advocacy activities at NASA Ames and the local community.
all images in this calendar courtesy of NASA unless otherwise noted
Cover Images
The Ames/Army Bell XV-15 tiltrotor, in takeoff configuration, in the Ames 40by 80-foot wind tunnel. Note the size of the engineers below the rotorcraft. North American P-51B Mustang in the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory’s 16-foot wind tunnel, April 1943.
2010
NASA Ames Contractor Council Calendar