AERODYNAMICS FOR A WINGED, CIRCULAR-BODY, SINGLE-STAGE-TO-ORBIT SPACECRAFT CONFIGURATION

Experimental aerodynamic characteristics were obtained fora generic, w inged, circular-body, single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft configuration. The baseline configuration was longitudinally stable and trimmable at almost all Mach numbers from 0.15 to 10.0, with the exception occurrin g at low supersonic speeds. Landing speed and subsonic-to-hypersonic l ongitudinal stability and control appear to be within design guideline s. A lack of sufficient supersonic longitudinal control power and late ral-directional instabilities found over the entire speed range, howev er, create a problem area, which could be alleviated by modifying the configuration's directional stabilization devices. Longitudinal aerody namic predictions made utilizing the Aerodynamic Preliminary Analysis System were in qualitative, and often quantitative, agreement with exp erimental values.