Wingless Flight : The Lifting Body Story / R. Dale Reed with Darlene Lister ; foreword by General Chuck Yeager.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reed, R. Dale, 1930- author.

Lister, Darlene, 1945- author.

Contributor:

Yeager, Chuck, 1923-2020, writer of foreword.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lifting bodies (Aeronautics)--United States--Design and construction--History.

Lifting bodies (Aeronautics).

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center--History.

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Lexington, Kentucky : The University Press of Kentucky, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Most lifting bodies, or "flying bathtubs" as they were called, were so ugly only an engineer could love them, and yet, what an elegant way to keep wings from burning off in supersonic flight between Earth and orbit. Working in their spare time (because they couldn't initially get official permission), Dale Reed and his team of engineers demonstrated the potential of the design that led to the space shuttle. This volume takes the reader behind the scenes with a blend of technical information and detail. The flying bathtub, itself, is finding new life as the proposed escape-pod for the Space Station.

Contents:

Note to paperback edition

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

The adventure begins

"Flying bathtub"

Commitment to risk

On to the heavyweights

Angry machines

Back to the drawing board

Wingless flight matures

Lifting-body racehorses

Wingless flight lives on

Appendix

Glossary.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-214) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-8131-5627-0

0-8131-3222-3

0-8131-6160-6

OCLC:

933515987