RE-ENTRY FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION NUMBER ONE (RED-1) :DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND PERFORMANCE OF THE RE-ENTRY VEHICLE

摘要

This report documents the design, development, and performance of the flight vehicle for Re-entry Flight Demonstration Number One (RFD-1). The RFD-1 re-entry-system consisted of the SNAP-10A Simulated Test Reactor (SNAP-10A STR), the exter¬nal fuel rod experiment, and the re-entry vehicle (RV). The latter included the telemetry package and the vehicle assembly (with recovery system and Scout fourth-stage separation components). The SNAP-10A STR was instrumented to monitor tran¬sient temperature response as well as the sequence of reactor disassembly during re-entry heating. The telemetry package transmitted the data obtained with this instrumentation and provided electrical functions for the re-entry vehicle. The re-entry vehicle itself served two purposes:(1) aerodynamically stable support for the SNAP-10A STR, and (2) housing for the telemetry package and the recovery system. The re-entry vehicle was designed to survive re-entry heating and to fol¬low a predetermined trajectory after being carried into outer space on a four-stage NASA Scout vehicle.