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FA ( TS
An Educational Services Publication of the
NASA FACTS Vol. IV,.No. 2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

LIFTING BODIES

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Clole-up view of the M2-F2, a "lifting body."

How can you bring a manned spacecraft back
into the atmosphere from orbit, have it withstand
the inferno of reentry and permit the pilot to
maneuver over a wide area as he selects and
touches down at the ground landing site that
suits him best?
The National Aeronautics and Space Admin-
istration believes the answe r may be to use a
"lifting-body." Reentry and recovery of manned
spacecraft in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
programs of NASA have required parachute sys-
tems for deceleration and letdown, and the posi-
 o ~~::J()
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Page 2 c,~-d
tioning of recovery ships across wide expanses
of the oceans.
How much simpler it would be if a returning
manned spacecraft could penetrate the atmos-
phere and glide to a landing like a conventional
aircraft.
Such is the prospect raised by lifting-body re-
search. Persons associated with the effort
envision a variety of future missions in space for
advanced versions of these unusual craft.
lifting bodies are wingless vehicles that ob-
tain aerodynamic lift-essential to flight in the
atmosphere-from their shape alone. Addition
of two or three fins provides the stability re-
quired for pilot control.
NASA is exploring and evaluating the poten-
tial of these lifting body concepts in a flight
research program that evolved from earlier wind
tunnel and theoretical studies. The overall lift-
ing body program is the responsibility of NASA's
Office of Advanced Research and Technology.
The aerodynamic advantages of lifting bodies
over manned reentry vehicles in present use, the
low-speed handling and landing capabilities
demonstrated early in the flight test program,
and the emerging potential future uses for lifting
bodies combine to make this a highly promising
area of advanced research.
lifting bodies provide greater lift and higher
lift-to-drag ratios than present manned reentry
spacecraft. The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo
capsules follow a ballistic-type trajectory (like a
projectile or missile) on reentering the atmos-
phere. Once committed by retro-fire, the astro-
nauts had limited control over the subsequent
flight path. Changes in the touchdown point
ranging to about 40 miles were the most they
could achieve.
However, as manned spacecraft become
larger and heavier, their missions more complex
and far-ranging, space pilots will require increas-
ing authority in the decision for landing site
selection. This does not mean necessarily that
some future space pilot returning to earth will
be able to choose anyone of the 6,000 airports
dotting the U.S. landscape, but it does mean that
he will be able to exercise some latitude should
CL/J }
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NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No.2
it become necessary to choose between available
landing sites.
Theoretical studies and tests of lifting body
concepts began in the United States in the early
1950's. Combined research efforts soon cen-
tered on a number of half-cone shapes that
promised to provide adequate lift for aerody-
namic flight.
In 1957, the idea of adapting these half-cone
configurations to a manned vehicle capable of
orbiting and reentering the earth's atmosphere
was developed by NASA. The problem was to
design a craft suited to rocket vehicle require-
ments and also one that would be aerodynam-
ically stable, and maneuverable from hypersonic
(above 3,300 miles per hour) to subsonic
speeds and be capable of horizontal landings.
To reduce heating resulting from high-speed
entry from space into earth's atmosphere, the
nose of the "cone" was blunted. Fins were in-
stalled to provide stability and control surfaces
were added for maneuverability.
Design innovations had to be built into lifting
bodies to accommodate the transitional areas
between space and atmospheric flight and,
within the atmosphere, hypersonic, supersonic
and subsonic flight. Conditions vary for each
flight regime.
The fact that lifting bodies have no wings
eliminates many possible problems in structures
and reentry heating. However, the necessity
for flight at hypersonic, supersonic, and subsonic
speeds challenges designers to find the compro-
mises that will accommodate all of these speed
levels and conditions.
NASA wind-tunnel studies, corroborated by
theoretical engineering analysis, have indicated
that a lifting body can generate enough lift to
permit a pilot returning from a space flight to
select his landing site.
How precise the initial choice might be would
depend upon just when the landing selection was
made. For example, from far out in space only
a hemispheric selection would need to be made.
If the Western Hemisphere were chosen then, as
the craft neared earth, an area encompassing
the southern section of the United States might
be selected. Then, as velocity and altitude
NASA FACTS Vol. IV- No.2 Page 3
Milton Thompson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration research pilot who heads the joint NASA-U.S. Air Force
team testing the M2-F2 lifting body research vehicle, tries out the craft's cockpit. Test flights are expected to demonstrote
how lifting body space vehicles would behave In the earth's atmosphere during the period between reentry and landings.
Page 4
dimi~ished, final determination of actual touch-
down point would be made. local weather
conditions, visibility, runway lengths, and air
traffic congestion are factors that might enter
these determinations.
Based on research work conducted at the
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California,
and at the Langley Research Center, Hampton,
Virginia, two separate lifting body designs
evolved and were proposed for flight investigation.
The first lifting body to be flight-tested by
NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, Cali-
fornia, was called the M2-F 1. It was simply
and inexpensively constructed of plywood and
tubular steel. Towed aloft by an aircraft, it was
released at about 10,000 feet to glide to a con-
trolled landing. The M2-F I, during its more
than 100 flights, confirmed the feasibility of con-
NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No.2
trolling lifting bodies during the critical landing
phase of flight.
The success of these tests led to a contract to
private industry in 1964 for the construction of
two heavyweight test vehicles designated the
M2-F2 and HL-10. The M2-F2 was delivered
to NASA in mid- 1965, and HL- 10 in early 1966.
The M in the designation M2-F2 refers to
"Manned" and the F to "Flight" version. The
2 refers to the second modification of the basic
M2 shape. HL refers to "Horizontal landing"
and the number 10 means that it is the tenth
lifting body model to be investigated at Langley.
Both vehicles are 22 feet long, but the HL-l 0
stands about two feet higher and five-and-one-
half feet wider than the M2, for added stability.
The controls of the two craft are quite different,
to test two different control techniques.

NASA', M2-F2 Lifting aody Is shown mated to the a-52 launch aircraft at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Cali-
fornia. Th. two vehlcl.s were joined together to evaluat. their compatibility, systems checkout, and to perform cer-
tain .tructural te.t.. NASA I. using the vehicle to study the lifting body concept for possible u •• a, a spacecraft of
the future that would be capabl. of re.nterlng from space and landing on earth under pilot control.
~-- - -- ...
NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No.2 Page 5

Artist's conception shows NASA's HL-l0 lifting body vehkle being dropped from a 8-52 mother ship. The HL-l0, a
NASA Langley Research Center configuration, Is being designed and fabricated by Northrop Corporation. Note the
adapter that allows the HL- 1 0 to be carried under an X-15 pylon.

The M2-F2 is flat on top and rounded on the
bottom. The HL-l 0 is exactly the opposite and
more of a delta-wing shape. Only the M2-F2
has a bubble-type cockpit canopy that protrudes
above its flat top surface. Both have rounded
windows in the nose for better pilot visibility.
Both vehicles weigh about 5,000 pounds or
9,000 pounds with water ballast tanks full.
Small, throttlable hydrogen-peroxide rockets are
installed on the rear of each to give the pilot up
to about 1000 pounds of thrust, providing
added velocity if he needs it, during the landing
flareout and approach.
For the flight tests, the lifting body is carried
beneath the wing of a B-52 to an altitude of
about 45,000 feet. Then it is released and
glides to a landing on Rogers Dry Lake, Califor-
nia. The research pilots perform various ma-
neuvers and tests designed to develop piloting
techniques and to evaluate control systems and
handling characteristics.
Both the M2-F2 and HL- 10 are designed to
accommodate rocket engines for powered flight
at a later phase in the research program.
Duration of the early, unpowered drop-and-
glide flights from launch to landing is approxi-
mately four minutes. They can be launched at
speeds up to about 530 miles per hour. Land-
ing speed, depending on the flight mission, can
vary between 160 and 240 miles per hour.
Later, depending upon the nature of the con-
tinuing flight research program, XLR-11 rocket
engines, used at one time to power the X-15
high-altitude research plane, may be installed
aboard each of the two research spacecraft.
This will permit flights at higher velocities and
 NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No.2

Artist's conception shows NASA's M-2 lifting body vehicle landing at NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. It
Is based on a configuration developed by the Ames Research Center. After thorough testing and evaluation both the M-2
and HL-10 are to be investigated in flight at Edwards. They are carried aloft by a 8-52 carrier-in a manner similar to
the X-15-and released at 45,000 feet. The pilot then glides the craft into a landing on Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards.

altitudes that more closely approximate the con-
ditions of a spacecraft returning from orbit.
Operationally, this type of craft, with the ca-
pability of operating in and out of the atmos-
phere, may prove extremely useful for a number
of space missions. These may include orbiting
spacecraft inspection, space satellite repair,
logistic support and resupply of earth-orbiting
manned space stations, space search and rescue,
or possibly as a recoverable upper stage of a
launch vehicle.
At this time no mission or research plan has
been determined by NASA for the design or con-
struction of an actual space flight vehicle, but the
research must be performed well in advance to
permit freedom of choice if such a program be-
comes necessary.
FLIGHT RESEARCH PROGRAM
The first free glide flight of the M2-F2 was
made July 12, 1966, with Milton O. Thompson
as pilot. It lasted about 4 minutes and was
completely successful.
As with the X-15 research program, a final
go-no-go checkout and countdown is conducted
while the lifting body is being borne aloft under
the wing of the B-52. The checkout is handled
in this manner so that if any weather or technical
problems arise during the last few moments the
glide flight can be cancelled.
Prior to the first free flight of the M2-F2, cap-
tive flights and ground runs were made. The
first captive flight, with the craft remaining locked
to the 8-52, was made March 23, 1966. A
complete systems checkout was made in flight
with the B-52 and the manned M2-F2.
 NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No. 2 Page 7

.. , ' M -2 LIFTING BODY RESEARCH VEHICLE

BALLAST TANK FWD.

UPPER FLAP ACTUATORS

B-52 ATTACH FITT INGS (2) OUTBD.

POWER SOURCE BATTERIES

SPECIFICATIONS AND COMPARISONS

OF THE M2-F2 AND HL-l0

M2-F2 HL-l0
LENGTH: 22 feet, 2 inches (nose ti p to tips Same
of backswept tail fins)
WIDTH: 9 feet, 7 inches (extreme rear of 15 feet, 1 inch (including tips of
vehicle) fins)
HEIGHT: 8 feet, 10 inches (ground to top of 11 feet, 5 inches (ground to top of
fins) center fin)
MINIMUM 5,000 pounds (with water ballast 5,265 pounds (with water ballast
WEIGHT: test tanks empty) test tanks empty)
MAXIMUM 9,000 pounds (water ballast tanks Same
WEIGHT: full for tests)
CONTROLS: A rudder on the outer face of each A thick "elevon" between each fin
fin for yaw (lateral movement back and the center fin for pitch and roll
and forth) control. Upper flaps for control. A split rudder on the cen-
roll (corkscrew action) control and ter fin for yaw and speed brake
pitch (nose up-nose down) trim. control. Each elevon has a flap on
One full length pitch flap on lower the upper surface, each outer fin
surfaces of the tail. has two trailing edge surfaces.
Page 8 NASA FACTS Vol. IV, No.2

AFT BALLAST TAN K

ATTITUDE GYRO

INSTRUMENT CONSOLE

AIR FLOW SENSI

FLIGHT CONTROLS
STATIC INVERTERS (2)

M2-F2 HL-l0
LAUNCH Special 22-foot-long adapter at- Same
STRUCTURES: tached to existing X-15 launch
pylon on wing of 8-52 aircraft.
The adapter encloses tanks for
both the M2-F2/HL-10 cabin pres-
surization and pilot oxygen while
the craft is in position under the
8-52 wing.

Ground taxi tests also were conducted with
the M2-F2 under the wing of the B-52 to test
the structural integrity of the B-52 pylon
adapter. Another series of taxi tests with the
M2-F2, using its landing rockets for power, was
made to test the steering and brake effectiveness
of the landing gear.
During the flight program the amount of bal-
last in the vehicle will be varied to determine the
effects of different loadings, or handling and
loading characteristics.
Both NASA and Air Force pilots have been
assigned lifting body flight responsibilities. All
undergo training in ground simulators before ac-
tually flying in the lifting bodies.
The NASA lifting body program is closely co-
ordinated with the Air Force which plans flight
tests of a third type of lifting body configuration
called the SV5P.

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