NASA Langley Research Center Tours

Two tours of the NASA Langley Research Center will offered during TFAWS 2011. Each tour will visit three sites, possibly including the National Transonic Facility, 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel, Impact Dynamics Research Facility and the 8-Foot High Temperature Tunnel (tour stops are subject to change and will depend on the size of the tour group). Information about each stop is included below.

Tours are limited to the first 45 people for each time and preference will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Seats for the tour should be reserved at least 3 weeks prior to the workshop (in order to arrange badging). Tour reservations should be made when registering for TFAWS, but seats can also be reserved by contacting Karen Berger. Personnel with NASA badges will be able to sign up for the tours at later dates, if space is still available. Both tours will depart from the lobby of the hotel and transportation will be provided.

National Transonic Facility The Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) is a high pressure, cryogenic, closed circuit wind tunnel with a thermally insulated pressure shell and is capable of Mach 0.1 to 1.2 with a Reynolds number range of 4x106 to 145x106 per foot. The tunnel has two modes of cooling. In the variable temperature cryogenic mode, nitrogen is the test gas and liquid nitrogen is sprayed into the circuit. The heat of vaporization and latent heat cools the tunnel structure while removing the fan heat. In this mode, the NTF provides full-scale flight Reynolds numbers without an increase in model size. In the ambient temperature air mode, air is the test gas. Water flows through the cooling coil to remove fan heat.

Photo Credit: NASA

Langley Aerothermodynamics Laboratory 31-Inch Mach 10 Air Tunnel The Langley Aerothermodynamics Laboratory (LAL) has four hypersonic wind tunnels utilized for aerodynamic performance and aeroheating assessment of hypersonic vehicles. Collectively, they provide a wide range of conditions and are suited for fast-paced screening, assessing, optimizing, and bench-marking (when combined with computational fluid dynamics) advanced aerospace vehicle concepts and fundamental flow physics research. The LAL has contributed to many programs including Apollo, Viking, Space Shuttle Orbiter, National Aero-Space Plane, Pegasus XL, DC-X, X-33, X-34, X-38, Kistler and X-43/HyperX, as well as the Columbia Accident Investigation and Shuttle Return To Flight Programs. The LAL was also involved in the development of the Mars Microprobe, Stardust Sample Return Capsule, Genesis, Mars Science Laboratory, Crew Exploration Vehicle and HYTHIRM.

Photo Credit: NASA

Impact Dynamics Research Facility The Impact Dynamics Research Facility (IDRF) started out as a facility designed to allow Apollo astronauts to learn to safely land the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) on the Moon’s surface, and was initially known as the Lunar Landing Research Facility (LLRF). The LLRF simulated lunar gravity on the LEM and allowed the vehicle to fly unobstructed within a relatively large area. The LLRF was used to train 24 astronauts, including Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. When asked what it was like to land on the Moon, Armstrong replied: “Like Langley.” After the Apollo program, Langley converted it into a full-scale aircraft crash test facility. Redesignated the IDRF, it was used to conduct research on aircraft and other vehicles. In 2005, tests associated with the development of the Orion were conducted and the facility was re-named the Landing Impact Research Facility (LandIR). A new hydro-impact basin was added underneath the Gantry to allow for the testing of water landings.

Photo Credit: NASA

Thermal Vacuum Laboratory The Thermal Vacuum Laboratory located in the Medium Bay of Building 1250 is comprised of three thermal vacuum chambers (8-foot x 15-foot, 6-foot x 6-foot, and 5-foot x 5-foot), two bell jars, one Cascade oven, and two humidity chambers. The 8-foot x 15-foot thermal-vacuum chamber has an LN2 cooled shroud that can achieve a temperature of -310°F and uses quartz lamps for heating of test articles to approximately 220°F. The 6-foot x 6-foot and 5-foot x 5-foot thermal-vacuum chambers each have a platen installed in the chamber where the test articles are typically mounted. The shrouds and platens can be cooled and heated by LN2 or GN2 with a temperature range of -310 °F to 250 °F. The chambers can achieve test pressures from atmosphere to 1X10-6 torr. In addition, the 5-foot x 5-foot chamber can have the chamber pressure controlled to simulate atmospheric ascent or descent profiles and the addition of quartz lamps can generate test article temperatures to 2500 °F.

Photo Credit: NASA