Pegasus(Registered trademark) Wing-Glove Experiment to Document Hypersonic Crossflow Transition: Measurement System and Selected Flight Results

In a recent flight experiment to study hypersonic crossflow transition, boundary layer characteristics were documented. A smooth steel glove was mounted on the first stage delta wing of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Pegasus (R) launch vehicle and was flown at speeds of up to Mach 8 and altitudes of up to 250,000 ft. The wing-glove experiment was flown as a secondary payload off the coast of Florida in October 1998. This paper describes the measurement system developed. Samples of the results obtained for different parts of the trajectory are included to show the characteristics and quality of the data. Thermocouples and pressure sensors (including Preston tubes, Stanton tubes, and a "probeless" pressure rake showing boundary layer profiles) measured the time-averaged flow. Surface hot-films and high-frequency pressure transducers measured flow dynamics. Because the vehicle was not recoverable, it was necessary to design a system for real-time onboard processing and transmission. Onboard processing included spectral averaging. The quality and consistency of data obtained was good and met the experiment requirements.