We're going to be changing format a little here. The DC-X technical and political background sections will be posted separately, shortly after this update, for benefit of those who have already seen the background info often enough to have it memorized. For those of you seeing this for the first time who need a bit more context, watch for the companion posting titled "DC-X Background 8/14/93".
[Apologies for the delay in posting; this was written Saturday 8/14, but we later discovered that it vanished on its way to the rest of the net. -HV-]
[Any SAS member who wants another copy of the "Background", drop me a note at hvanderbilt@bix.com. It's identical to material in last week's DC-X Update, however. Chances are you've already read it.]
DC-X had some problems with the ground test firing last week, the four-second, bolted-to-the-pad final all-systems test before first flight. One engine showed an out-of-limit condition and was shut down by the ground test computer about a second early. The exact nature of the problem still isn't quite clear, but there has been mention of a noisy hydraulic pump, with some hints that the "noise" was electrical and may have affected sensor readings. All will no doubt become known later on, when the DC-X test ops crew has some time to spare for the outside world. They've been working twelve-hour-plus days for most of the summer, and a couple weeks ago stopped taking even Sundays off. Bringing brand-new vehicles up to flight test is not for the faint of heart.
The good news is the second attempt at the final ground test firing came off successfully earlier today. The engines were fired for 4.84 seconds, the test taking DC-X through the entire pre-flight sequence right up to the point of liftoff before shutting the ship down again.
The next major milestone is the first flight of the stability test series (the "bunny hop" flights). These stability test flights will consist of takeoff, sideways transition of several hundred feet, and landing, done under varying wind conditions, with no visitors on the range. The first flight is currently scheduled for this coming Wednesday, August 18th. As of early Saturday afternoon, the schedule looks good. Keep your fingers crossed; this initial "bunny hop" will be the first real-world test of DC-X's stability at low speed and altitude, a critical and hard-to-simulate part of the VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) flight envelope.
The official "first" DC-X flight will come later. It will actually be the initial flight of the second test series, when they'll be going for higher speeds and altitude. This will be the one with speeches, hoopla, VIP's, and media coverage, but alas still no admission of the general public. Chances are good for TV coverage though, between NASA Select, local TV stations, and the national networks. Chances are too that you'll have a better view on TV, since the "VIP" viewing site will be five miles from the pad.
At this point this "first" flight looks like taking place sometime over the weekend starting Friday, August 27th. McDonnell Douglas is still officially saying they expect it to happen on Monday August 23rd, but this seems extremely unlikely; the stability tests would have to be cut short to have any chance of starting the second test series that soon.
The end-for-end transition maneuver won't be tried until the third, final flight test series.
The next two crucial events (in getting funding for SX-2 startup next year) will happen, as it turns out, near-simultaneously in mid-September. Once the full House and Senate vote on their respective Defense Authorization bills, two new processes will get underway:
For the Conference Committee, we need to reinforce our current support in the House Armed Services Committee by contacting Representatives Dellums, Schroeder and any HASC members local to us, telling them we appreciate their support for "SSRT Followon", and urging them to continue this support in the House-Senate Defense Conference. We also need to continue urging Senators Nunn, Exon, and any Senate Armed Services Committee members from our states to support SSRT Followon funding.
On the Appropriations side, we need to start working on the Defense Subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees (HAC and SAC "Defense"). Representative John Murtha (D, PA) chairs the HAC Defense Subcommittee, and Senator Daniel Inouye (D, HI) chairs the SAC Defense Subcommittee.
We will be posting full HASC, SASC, HAC Defense and SAC Defense member lists, plus a more detailed discussion of tactics, early in the coming week.
Henry Vanderbilt "Reach low orbit and you're halfway to anywhere Executive Director, in the Solar System." Space Access Society - Robert A. Heinlein hvanderbilt@bix.com "You can't get there from here." 602 431-9283 voice/fax - Anonymous -- Permission granted to redistribute the full and unaltered text of this -- -- piece, including the copyright and this notice. All other rights -- -- reserved. In other words, intact crossposting is strongly encouraged. --