Publisher's Synopsis
The SR-71 test bed aircraft is shown to be a unique platform to flight-test large experiments to supersonic Mach numbers. The test bed hardware mounted on the SR-71 upper fuselage is described. This test bed hardware is composed of a fairing structure called the "canoe" and a large "reflection plane" flat plate for mounting experiments. Total experiment weights, including the canoe and reflection plane, as heavy as 14,500 lb can be mounted on the aircraft and flight-tested to speeds as fast as Mach 3.2 and altitudes as high as 80,000 ft. A brief description of the SR-71 aircraft is given, including details of the structural modifications to the fuselage, modifications to the J58 engines to provide increased thrust, and the addition of a research instrumentation system. Information is presented based on flight data that describes the SR-71 test bed aerodynamics, stability and control, structural and thermal loads, the canoe internal environment, and reflection plane flow quality. Guidelines for designing SR-71 test bed experiments are also provided.Corda, Stephen and Moes, Timothy R. and Mizukami, Masashi and Hass, Neal E. and Jones, Daniel and Monaghan, Richard C. and Ray, Ronald J. and Jarvis, Michele L. and Palumbo, NathanArmstrong Flight Research CenterSR-71 AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT TESTS; AERODYNAMIC STABILITY; TEST STANDS; FUSELAGES; STRUCTURAL DESIGN; SUPERSONIC SPEED; LOADS (FORCES); FAIRINGS; MACH NUMBER
