Factoid 1:
-- On February 24, NASA plans to fly an X 38 in a "drop test" from an aircraft at Dryden Flight Research Center in California. Project Manager John Muratore said the test simulates flight conditions similar to those encountered when a reentering craft deploys a para-foil.
Factoid 2:
-- The X 38 will be launched from the same modified B 52 Stratofortress bomber that has been used by the space agency since the 1960s. This particular airplane also launched the X 24 series lifting bodies and the X 15. B 52s are still used by the Air Force as bombers.
Factoid 3:
-- The X 38 is a lifting body design. Lifting bodies have no wings, but rely on the flat surface of the crafts belly to create drag, which slows descent. One of the problems encountered with craft tested in the 1960s and 1970s were the dangerously high landing speeds. The X 38 will use its para-foil for a slower, and gentle landing.
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