NASA M2-F1

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Development

The lifting-body concept originated in the mid-1950s at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Ames Aeronautical Laboratory, Mountain View, California. By February 1962, a series of possible shapes had been developed, and R. Dale Reed was working to gain support for a research vehicle.

Related Topics:
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics - Ames Aeronautical Laboratory - Mountain View, California - February

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The construction of the M2-F1 was a joint effort by Dryden and a local glider manufacturer, the Briegleb Glider Company. The budget was $US 30,000. NASA craftsmen and engineers built the tubular steel interior frame. Its mahogany plywood shell was hand-made by Gus Briegleb and company. Ernie Lowder, a NASA craftsman who had worked on the Howard Hughes "Spruce Goose," was assigned to help Briegleb.

Related Topics:
Briegleb Glider Company - Howard Hughes - Spruce Goose

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Final assembly of the remaining components (including aluminum tail surfaces, push rod controls, and landing gear from a Cessna 150) was done back at the NASA facility.

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The wingless, lifting body aircraft design was initially conceived as a means of landing an aircraft horizontally after atmospheric reentry. The absence of wings would make the extreme heat of re-entry less damaging to the vehicle.

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The first flight tests of the M2-F1 were over Rogers Dry Lake at the end of a tow rope attached to a hopped-up Pontiac convertible driven at speeds up to about 120 mph (190 km/h). On April 5, 1963 test pilot Milton O. Thompson lifted the M2-F1's nose off of the ground for the first time on-tow. Speed was 86 miles per hour (138 km/h). The little craft seemed to bounce uncontrollably back and forth on the main landing gear, and stopped when he lowered the nose to the ground. He tried again, but each time with the same results. He felt it was a landing gear problem that could have caused the aircraft to roll on its back if he had lifting the main gear off of the ground.

Related Topics:
Rogers Dry Lake - Pontiac - April 5 - Milton O. Thompson

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Looking at movies of the tests, it was decided that the bouncing was probably caused by unwanted rudder movements. Flight control system number two was replaced in favor of number one, and it never bounced again.

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Speeds on tow inched up to 110 miles per hour (176 km/h), which allowed Thompson to climb to about 20 feet (7 m), then glide for about 20 seconds after releasing the line . That was the most that could be expected during an auto tow.

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These initial tests produced enough flight data about the M2-F1 to proceed with flights behind a NASA C-47 tow plane at greater altitudes.

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