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Space shuttle aerodynamic surfaces positions on touchdown?


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One of my (many) planned projects is diorama of the Shuttle Enterprise making it's first touchdown at Edwards Airforce base.  Does anyone know where I can find details of the expected exact positions of the elevons, body flap and tail air brake at touchdown?

Thanks

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I am unsure of the positions of the wing elevons, but the vertical tail has a split rudder that can move 27° either side of the centreline or when acting as a speed brake, the drive shafts turn in opposite directions to spread the two halves of the rudder to a maximum 49.3° each, presenting a spread of 98.6°.

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Thanks, it looks as though at rear wheels touchdown (What I want to try to model) all the aerodynamic surfaces are pretty much in their flat position.  That makes life much easier.  Now, how to model the dust plume from the rear wheels ...?

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 5/2/2020 at 8:55 PM, Michael Morris said:

Thanks, it looks as though at rear wheels touchdown (What I want to try to model) all the aerodynamic surfaces are pretty much in their flat position.  That makes life much easier.  Now, how to model the dust plume from the rear wheels ...?

And, of course, the drag chute which deployed at the moment of touchdown (so you'll want it only partially open...)

 

Edited to add:  Forgot it was Enterprise on its first test flight you were modelling - it didn't have a drag chute. Maybe for a future project?

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On 5/2/2020 at 8:55 PM, Michael Morris said:

Now, how to model the dust plume from the rear wheels ...?

Could you use teased out cotton wool or a similar soft toy stuffing material ?

 

If you haven't already read it Michael could I recommend Rowland White's book Into the Black, it's the story of the journey to the first Shuttle launch including the Enterprise test landings at Edwards Air Force Base.

Edited by Richard E
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11 minutes ago, Richard E said:

Could you use teased out cotton wool or a similar soft toy stuffing material ?

 

If you haven't already read it Michael could I recommend Rowland White's book Into the Black, it's the story of the journey to the first Shuttle launch including the Enterprise test landings at Edwards Air Force Base.

That was my thought too.  Never tried it so I'll need to do some practice pieces first.  I'll also try and ring out how much rear undercarriage would have been compressed at the point of rear wheel touchdown and how much the front undercarriage would have been extended.  I'm also after pictures of the undercarriage housing detail.

Thanks for the heads up on the book.

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9 hours ago, GordonD said:

And, of course, the drag chute which deployed at the moment of touchdown (so you'll want it only partially open...)

 

Edited to add:  Forgot it was Enterprise on its first test flight you were modelling - it didn't have a drag chute. Maybe for a future project?

None of the Shuttles were fitted with braking parachutes until after they returned to service in 1988 following the Challenger accident.

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  • 1 month later...

Also don’t forget that Enterprise had a rather large pitot tube during the Edwards tests.  For tile decals, Enterprise never had the Real thermodynamic tiles used on flight ready shuttles and only had the SR-71 ejection seats for the cockpit during tho tests if you want to detail the interior. At 1:144, I didn’t bother with the interior

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On 19/07/2020 at 02:50, Chipinme said:

... only had the SR-71 ejection seats for the cockpit during tho tests if you want to detail the interior. At 1:144, I didn’t bother with the interior

I've decidef to forego and interior.  The roof above the ejection seats is one of the details I got to try to find more about.  There appears to be done markings on the roof, but I can't make out what they are.

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