Technical Paper
Air Data Measurement for Hypersonic Vehicles
1991-09-01
912143
The requirements for hypersonic air data measurement are reviewed, and techniques for the measurement of air data parameters for hypersonic vehicles are presented and assessed. Today's hypersonic vehicles, primarily the space shuttle, have had restricted flight envelopes and required minimal air data measurement performance. ...Advanced hypersonic vehicles are now being designed that will greatly expand the envelope of hypersonic travel. ...Accurate measurement or derivation of vehicle altitude, rates, Mach number, angle of attack, and sideslip are required to ensure that operation of a hypersonic vehicle over a broader envelope is possible. The hypersonic vehicle must operate in an environment characterized by low atmospheric and high dynamic pressures combined with high external-surface temperatures that reach extremes higher than 2000°C with flow velocities approaching Mach 25.