Langley’s first wind tunnel, a replica of a 10-year-old British design, became operational in June 1920. NASA Langley photo no. EL-1996-00142 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schultz, James, 1956– Crafting flight : Aircraft pioneers and the contributions of the men and women of NASA Langley Research Center / by James Schultz. p. cm. -- (NASA history series) “SP-2003-4316.” Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Langley Research Center. 2. Aeronautical engineering--United States--History. 3. Aeronautical engineers--United States. I. Title. II. Series. TL862.L35 S38 2003 629.13’00973--dc21 2002026358 For sale by U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-00-000000-0 Front cover shows the Wright Brothers’ historic flight Pearl Young at work in Instrument and an artist’s concept of a future aircraft. Research Division, c. 1929 (on facing page). NASA Langley photo no. EL-2000-00347 C RAFTING F LIGHT BY J S AMES CHULTZ AIRCRAFT PIONEERS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF NASA LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER SP-2003-4316 7- by 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel in 1931. NASA Langley photo no. EL-1999-00418 C ONTENTS PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .V FOREWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .VII INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX CHAPTER 1—CRAVING FLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CHAPTER 2—A LABORATORY FOR FLIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 CHAPTER 3—REFINING THE AIRPLANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 CHAPTER 4—SWORDS AND PLOWSHARES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 CHAPTER 5—BEYOND THE HOME PLANET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 CHAPTER 6—EXPERTISE APPLIED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 CHAPTER 7—REDEFINING ROLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 CHAPTER 8—BEYOND THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 FOOTNOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 NASA HISTORY SERIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Crafting Flight III Lunar Landing Research Vehicle outside Langley hanger, later shipped to Houston to train Apollo astronauts. GRIN photo no. GPN-2000-001821 P REFACE While this is a self-contained history of NASA Langley Research Center’s contribu- tions to flight, many other organizations around the country played a vital role in the work described in this book. Within the Agency, Langley for decades has worked closely with other NASA Centers, particularly Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California; Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio; and Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. These are NASA’s “aero” centers, where most of the Agency’s aeronautics research has been con- ducted over the years. Other NASA Centers include Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama; Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida; Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas; and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Without the support of these Centers and NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Langley’s work would not have been possible. NASA also collaborates extensively with academia, private industry, and other government agencies. These are far too numerous to mention, but their contributions are equally important. Last but certainly not least, we must not forget the U.S. citizen, whose tax dollars sup- port our work and whose representation in the Administration and the Congress guides our actions. It is for their benefit, ultimately, that we exist. Crafting Flight V Researcher in the Langley Immersive Design and Simulator Laboratory. Langley Office of External Affairs photo archives