Spring Break
Texas A&M aerospace research takes flight
By: Ann Littmann
Issue date: 11/4/09 Section: News
The technology of Texas A&M University's Department of Aerospace Engineering soared to great heights- literally- when the Aero-Fluids Group developed a five-hole probe that was installed in the tip of NASA's ARES 1-X test rocket.
Supplementary engineering services were contributed to NASA by Aeroprobe Corporation to construct the high-performance probe. The probe was calibrated at Mach .2 to 3.0 for static and dynamic response, structural analysis and vibrational testing.
Aerospace engineering professor Othon Rediniotis said NASA's experiment will help improve the design and safety of future space vehicles.
The probe is a set of sensors that collect aerodynamic data such as total air pressure, static air pressure, angle of attack and other vehicle control data. Due to the sensitivity of the sensory surface of the probe, it is kept under a protective cover that is removed no sooner than 45 minutes before launch.
The Ares flight test was launched at 11:30 a.m. eastern time on Oct. 28 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight lasted about six minutes from launch to splashdown and was considered a success. NASA was able to gather critical information from the probe about the rocket's air speed and flow incidence angles. The total and static pressures resulting from the probe data will be used as a reference for the remaining pressure sensors on the Ares 1-X, which number more than 300.
Supplementary engineering services were contributed to NASA by Aeroprobe Corporation to construct the high-performance probe. The probe was calibrated at Mach .2 to 3.0 for static and dynamic response, structural analysis and vibrational testing.
Aerospace engineering professor Othon Rediniotis said NASA's experiment will help improve the design and safety of future space vehicles.
The probe is a set of sensors that collect aerodynamic data such as total air pressure, static air pressure, angle of attack and other vehicle control data. Due to the sensitivity of the sensory surface of the probe, it is kept under a protective cover that is removed no sooner than 45 minutes before launch.
The Ares flight test was launched at 11:30 a.m. eastern time on Oct. 28 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight lasted about six minutes from launch to splashdown and was considered a success. NASA was able to gather critical information from the probe about the rocket's air speed and flow incidence angles. The total and static pressures resulting from the probe data will be used as a reference for the remaining pressure sensors on the Ares 1-X, which number more than 300.
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