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Reusable orbital glider PHOENIX undergoes wind tunnel testing

Drastic reduction of transportation costs envisaged

Cologne/Marknesse (NL), 20 August 2003

DLR and EADS work on new space transport systems Europe wishes to remain competitive when access to space is concerned

Autonomous access to space and drastic reduction of transportation costs are essential factors in safeguarding Europe's future and competitive-ness in space. Reusable transport systems are playing a decisive role in achieving this goal. With PHOENIX, a seven-metre long flight demonstrator, a scaled model of such a reusable transport system will be tested in the Deutsch-Niederländischer Windkanal (DNW -German-Dutch Wind Tunnel), in the "Large Low-Speed Facility" (LLF) near Marknesse in the Netherlands for the first time. The DNW-LLF and another nine wind tunnels of Deutsches Zen-trum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR - German Aerospace Centre) and the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory, NLR, are operated by the Foundation DNW. The flight demonstrator, which was developed and built by EADS SPACE Transportation, is intended as precursor to the fu-ture, reusable space transport vehicle HOPPER. The DLR is decisively involved in research and development activi-ties carried out in various sectors. These activities include, for instance, conception of the helicopter towing forma-tion, design, test support and analysis of the air data system as well as the development of a modern hardware-in-the-loop simulator, which allows ground testing of all onboard systems of Phoenix under real conditions. Fur-thermore, DLR will evaluate all sensor data acquired from flight testing and carry out system identification.

PHOENIX is a scaled flyable model with a length of almost seven metres. The LLF conduit, which is eight metres by six, is used for tests in preparation of the free flight of the fully equipped PHOENIX which is scheduled for early summer 2004. To this end, a helicopter will tow the demonstrator to an altitude of 2,400 metres and then release it. After a controlled gliding flight, PHOENIX will extend its landing gear and touch down automatically. The automatic touchdown test of the flight demonstrator, which does not have a propulsion system of its own, will take place in Vid-sel in Northern Sweden. With a span of 3.9 metres, wing and control surfaces of the PHOENIX flight demonstrator, an aluminium structure hav-ing a weight of about 1,000 kg, were kept as low as possible to minimise frictional drag and thus heat development during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. During the test flights, the fuselage of PHOENIX will serve for accommo-dating avionics, navigation, data transfer and energy supply systems.

The large DNW wind tunnel will be used to determine the aerodynamic low speed characteristics of PHOENIX. To this end, six components of the aerodynamic forces will be measured for all angle-of-attack and angle-of-yaw combinations that may occur during approach for land-ing. The flap, control surface and rear fuselage speed brake deflections required for trajectory control will be varied by means of computer-controlled actuators. In parallel with the force measurement, the PHOENIX flight data measurement system will be calibrated for free flight by using wind tunnel reference data. Calibration will be carried out by DLR.

Integration and technical system testing are scheduled for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2004. Testing will include, among others, wind tunnel tests, towing tests to adjust the hoist sling by using a PHOENIX mock-up, as well as taxi tests with the flight demonstrator: once total functionality of the system has been confirmed, first prac-tical trials, namely the flight testing of the demonstrator will be undertaken.

For further information about PHOENIX please visit www.ft.bs.dlr.de
www.dnw.aero

High-resolution pictures of current DNW wind tunnel testing are available at www.dlr.de

Your contacts:

DLR Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Eduard Müller
Tel.: +49-2203-601-2805
Mobile: +49-173-5307026
Fax: +49-2203-601-3249
E-mail: Eduard.Mueller@dlr.de
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Levedag
DLR-Institut für Flugsystemtechnik, Braunschweig
Tel: +49-531-295-2600/01
Fax: +49-531-295-2864
E-mail: Stefan.Levedag@dlr.de

EADS Space Transportation
Mrs. Kirsten Leung
Tel.: +49-421-539-5326
Mobile: +49-171-3081774
Fax: +49-421-539-4534
E-mail: Kirsten.Leung@space.eads.net

Deutsch-Niederländische Windkanäle (DNW)
Marknesse (NL)
Dr.-Ing. Georg Eitelberg, Director DNW
Tel.: + 31-527-248520
Fax: +31-527-248582
E-mail: Georg.Eitelberg@dnw.aero