NASA Ames has a long tradition in leadership with the use of ballistic ranges and shock tubes for the purpose of studying the physics and phenomena associated with hypervelocity flight. Cutting-edge areas of research run the gamut from aerodynamics, to impact physics, to flow-field structure and chemistry. This legacy of testing began in the NACA era of the 1940's with the Supersonic Free Flight Tunnel, and evolved dramatically up through the late 1950s with the pioneering work in the Ames Hypersonic Ballistic Range. The tradition continued in the mid-60s with the commissioning of the three newest facilities: the Ames Vertical Gun Range (AVGR) in 1964, the Hypervelocity Free Flight Facility (HFFF) in 1965 and the Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) in 1966. Today the Range Complex continues to provide unique and critical testing in support of the Nation's programs for planetary geology and geophysics; exobiology; solar system origins; earth atmospheric entry, planetary entry, and aerobraking vehicles; and various configurations for supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Fact Sheet: Range Complex


    Contributors:
    Cornelson, C. (author) / Fretter, E. (author)

    Publication date :

    2004-01-01


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Fact Sheet: Range Complex

    C. Cornelson / E. Fretter | NTIS | 2004



    Energy fact sheet

    Atchison, K. | NTRS | 1980



    Crew Exercise Fact Sheet

    Rafalik, Kerrie | NTRS | 2017