Facing the Heat Barrier

A History of Hypersonics

$22.95

Publication Date: 12th September 2018

This volume from The NASA History Series presents an overview of the science of hypersonics, the study of flight at speeds at which the physics of flows is dominated by aerodynamic heating. The survey begins during the years immediately following World War II, with the first steps in hypersonic research: the development of missile nose cones and the X-15; the earliest concepts of hypersonic propulsion; and the origin of the scramjet engine. Next, it addresses the re-entry problem, which came to the forefront during the mid-1950s, showing how work in this area supported the manned space pr... Read More
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This volume from The NASA History Series presents an overview of the science of hypersonics, the study of flight at speeds at which the physics of flows is dominated by aerodynamic heating. The survey begins during the years immediately following World War II, with the first steps in hypersonic research: the development of missile nose cones and the X-15; the earliest concepts of hypersonic propulsion; and the origin of the scramjet engine. Next, it addresses the re-entry problem, which came to the forefront during the mid-1950s, showing how work in this area supported the manned space pr... Read More
Description
This volume from The NASA History Series presents an overview of the science of hypersonics, the study of flight at speeds at which the physics of flows is dominated by aerodynamic heating. The survey begins during the years immediately following World War II, with the first steps in hypersonic research: the development of missile nose cones and the X-15; the earliest concepts of hypersonic propulsion; and the origin of the scramjet engine. Next, it addresses the re-entry problem, which came to the forefront during the mid-1950s, showing how work in this area supported the manned space program and contributed to the development of the orbital shuttle.
Subsequent chapters explore the fading of scramjet studies and the rise of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program of 1985–95, which sought to lay groundwork for single-stage vehicles. The program's ultimate shortcomings — in terms of aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials — are discussed, and the book concludes with a look at hypersonics in the post-NASP era, including the development of the X-33 and X-34 launch vehicles, further uses for scramjets, and advances in fluid mechanics. Clearly, ongoing research in hypersonics has yet to reach its full potential, and readers with an interest in aeronautics and astronautics will find this book a fascinating exploration of the field's history and future.

Reprinted from the NASA History Series, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington D.C., 2007 edition.
Details
  • Price: $22.95
  • Pages: 352
  • Publisher: Dover Publications
  • Imprint: Dover Publications
  • Publication Date: 12th September 2018
  • ISBN: 9780486834511
  • Format: eBook
  • BISACs:
    TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Aeronautics & Astronautics
Author Bio
Thomas A. Heppenheimer received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also held Research Fellowships in Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology and the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. His other books include the authorized history of the space shuttle, published by NASA.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Abbreviations and Acronyms
1. First Steps in Hypersonic Research
2. Nose Cones and Re-entry
3. The X-15
4. First Thoughts of Hypersonic Propulsion
5. Widening Prospects for Re-entry
'6. Hypersonics and the Space Shuttle
7. The Fading, the Comeback
8. Why NASP Fell Short
9. Hypersonics After NASP
Bibliography
NASA History Series
Index
This volume from The NASA History Series presents an overview of the science of hypersonics, the study of flight at speeds at which the physics of flows is dominated by aerodynamic heating. The survey begins during the years immediately following World War II, with the first steps in hypersonic research: the development of missile nose cones and the X-15; the earliest concepts of hypersonic propulsion; and the origin of the scramjet engine. Next, it addresses the re-entry problem, which came to the forefront during the mid-1950s, showing how work in this area supported the manned space program and contributed to the development of the orbital shuttle.
Subsequent chapters explore the fading of scramjet studies and the rise of the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program of 1985–95, which sought to lay groundwork for single-stage vehicles. The program's ultimate shortcomings — in terms of aerodynamics, propulsion, and materials — are discussed, and the book concludes with a look at hypersonics in the post-NASP era, including the development of the X-33 and X-34 launch vehicles, further uses for scramjets, and advances in fluid mechanics. Clearly, ongoing research in hypersonics has yet to reach its full potential, and readers with an interest in aeronautics and astronautics will find this book a fascinating exploration of the field's history and future.

Reprinted from the NASA History Series, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington D.C., 2007 edition.
  • Price: $22.95
  • Pages: 352
  • Publisher: Dover Publications
  • Imprint: Dover Publications
  • Publication Date: 12th September 2018
  • ISBN: 9780486834511
  • Format: eBook
  • BISACs:
    TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Aeronautics & Astronautics
Thomas A. Heppenheimer received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also held Research Fellowships in Planetary Science at the California Institute of Technology and the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. His other books include the authorized history of the space shuttle, published by NASA.
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Abbreviations and Acronyms
1. First Steps in Hypersonic Research
2. Nose Cones and Re-entry
3. The X-15
4. First Thoughts of Hypersonic Propulsion
5. Widening Prospects for Re-entry
'6. Hypersonics and the Space Shuttle
7. The Fading, the Comeback
8. Why NASP Fell Short
9. Hypersonics After NASP
Bibliography
NASA History Series
Index