Exoskelton

3 responses to “Exoskelton”

1. 

   jurvetson

   Jan 27, 2013 at 9:05 pm

   The entry…
   
   Due to WWII materiel shortages, this blue building, which houses the test section, is sheathed in a corrugated material made from cardboard, cement, and asbestos.

   Through the door, and the test section looms overhead:
   

   A display and model of the huge fans:
   

   A cross-sectional model of the test section, showing how the roof opens overhead for lowering aircraft for testing:
   

   (short video of the echoes within).

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2. 

   m.p.moody

   Jan 28, 2013 at 6:21 pm

   Computer Simulation has made the 40×80 all but extinct, any remaining use cases?

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3. 

   jurvetson

   Jan 28, 2013 at 7:52 pm

   Good question… with CFD, many of these are victims of Moore’s Law. In NASA’s recent celebration around this facility, they emphasize the 80×120 branch much more than the 40×80. I only noticed mention of testing a Wright Bro plane in ’99. Very old skool. =)

   When were were in the staging area we saw the test rig for the most recent project, and it is pretty contemporary – the HIAD inflatable reentry heat shield that was flight tested in 2012.

   By the way, the Google Maps view of this wind-tunnel is remarkably detailed, probably from aircraft imagery.

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