SPACE.com -- X 38 Leaves Texas for California's High Desert

Controversial Spaceplane Hits Another Roadblock

Experimental Spacecraft Make a Comeback


	X 38 Leaves Texas for California's High Desert By Glen Golightly Houston Bureau Chief posted: 12:19 pm ET 11 July 2000

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HOUSTON X 38 Engineers have traded the humidity here for the dry heat of the Mojave Desert as they prepare for further tests of the International Space Stations (ISS) future lifeboat.

Technicians sent X 38 #131-R aboard NASAs Super Guppy cargo plane Tuesday from Houston to Dryden Flight Research Center co-located with Edwards Air Force Base about 80 miles (128 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.

A B 52 carries the X 38 #132 during a test flight in 1999.

The X 38 is a prototype of the seven-seat Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the ISS being built at Johnson Space Center. Current plans call for the CRV to replace the three-seat Soyuz module in 2005.

X 38 Program Manager John Muratore said this round of tests include another capture-carry where a B 52 Stratofortress carries the X 38 to test the mating of the two craft and aerodynamics.

A test in three areas

In the fall, the craft will be released from the B 52 to test three areas: the 7,500-square-foot (697-square-meter) parafoil that lowers the craft to Earth, a parafoil guidance system developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) and a modified tail on the X 38 that is more rounded than previous versions.

"Were shooting for the end of the month for the capture-carry test," he said. "Then it's critical we get finished so the X 43 can get on the bomber."

The hypersonic vehicle known as the X 43 or Hyper X also requires time on the B 52 used for flight tests. The X 43 should make its maiden flight over the Pacific Ocean this fall and fly more than seven times the speed of sound.

Resembles parachute

Muratore said another test of the parafoil with a cargo pallet is planned in September before being used with the X 38 sometime in October. The rectangular-shaped parafoil resembles parachutes used by skydivers, but has more surface area than a 747 airliner.

"We had three tests of it (the parafoil) out at Yuma and are looking to get a last test off the end of August or first week of September," he said.

This will be the third flight of the modified 131-R and six test flights are planned for next year.

A technician checks out the X 38 #132 after a drop test in March at Dryden Flight Research Center in California's Mojave Desert.

The first of a two-part contract to build the CRV production models has been pushed back to fall as engineers at JSC re-evaluate some of the criteria, Muratore said.

The delays come from renegotiating ESAs construction tasks, an upcoming independent safety review and the possibility of adding manual controls to the vehicle for station separation and attitude control and reentry engine burns.

"All that work should be finished by August and well get amended proposals," he said. "There are a number of issues were closing out and well award the contract soon after that."

The X 38 #201, currently being built at JSC, is scheduled for a flight test aboard a space shuttle in 2001.

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