X-33 Model Tested In Langley’s 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel

Thomas Horvath of Langley's Aerothermodynamics Branch examines the surface of a model of the X-33 prior to testing in the 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Wind Tunnel at NASA Langley Research Center. The tests, held during the month of September 1997, were conducted to determine aeroheating characteristics of the X-33. The X-33 vehicle will consist of a lifting body airframe with two cryogenic propellant tanks (liquid hydrogen, LH2, and liquid oxygen, LOX) placed within the aeroshell. The vehicle will have two linear aerospike main engines. The X-33 Design and Flight Demonstration Program key objectives are to reduce business and technical risks to privately finance development and operation of a next-generation space transportation system through ground and flight tests of a spaceplane technology demonstrator, ensure that the X-33 design and major components are usable and scaleable to a full-scale, single-stage-orbit reusable launch vehicle (RLV), demonstrate autonomous capability from takeoff to landing, and verify operability and performance in "real world" environments. NASA Identifier: L97-3336