science

Northrop M2-F2

Northrop M2-F2 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Northrop M2-F2 rather than just read about it. In short: The Northrop M2-F2 was a heavyweight lifting body based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers and built by the Northrop Corporation in 1966. Development The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers—the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation.

Key takeaways

Northrop M2-F2 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Connect Northrop M2-F2 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Northrop M2-F2 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Northrop M2-F2 was a heavyweight lifting body based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers and built by the Northrop Corporation in 1966.

Development The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers—the M2-F2 and the HL-10, both built by the Northrop Corporation. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version. "HL" comes from "horizontal landing" and 10 is for the tenth lifting body model to be investigated by Langley. On March 23, 1966 the M2-F2 made its first captive flight—attached to the B-52 carrier aircraft throughout. The first free gliding flight of the M2-F2 was on July 12, 1966, piloted by Milton O. Thompson. He was dropped from the B-52 carrier aircraft's wing pylon at an altitude of 45,000 ft (14,000 m) and reached a speed of about 450 mph (720 km/h; 390 kn).

Operational history

Before powered flights were undertaken, a series of glide flights were conducted. On May 10, 1967, the sixteenth and last glide flight ended in disaster as the vehicle slammed into the lake bed on landing. With test pilot Bruce Peterson at the controls, the M2-F2 suffered a pilot induced oscillation (PIO) as it neared the lake bed. At the core of this problem was that the wings of the M2-F2 (essentially the body of the aircraft) produced considerably less roll authority than most aircraft. This resulted in less force available to the pilot to control the aircraft in roll. The vehicle rolled from side to side in flight as he tried to bring it under control. Peterson recovered, but then observed a rescue helicopter that seemed to pose a collision threat. Distracted, Peterson drifted in a crosswind to an unmarked area of the lake bed where it was very difficult to judge the height over the ground because of a lack of guidance (the markers provided on the lake bed runway). Peterson fired the landing rockets to provide additional lift, but he hit the lake bed before the landing gear was fully down and locked. The M2-F2 rolled over six times, coming to rest upside down. Pulled from the vehicle by Jay King and Joseph Huxman, Peterson was rushed to the base hospital, transferred to the March Air Force Base Hospital and then the UCLA Hospital. He recovered but lost vision in his right eye due to a staphylococcal infection. Portions of M2-F2 footage including Peterson's spectacular crash landing were used for the 1973 television series The Six Million Dollar Man though some shots during the opening credits of the series showed the later HL-10 model, during release from its carrier plane, a modified B-52. Four pilots flew the M2-F2 on its 16 glide flights. They were Milton O. Thompson (five flights), Bruce Peterson (three flights), Don Sorlie (three flights) and Jerry Gentry (five flights). NASA pilots and researchers realized the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, even though it had a stability augmentation control system. When the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Dryden and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin—centered between the tip fins to improve control characteristics. The M2-F2/F3 was the first of the heavyweight, entry-configuration lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles.

M2-F2 flights NASA M2-F2 - NASA 803, 16 unpowered flights

Specifications (M2-F2)

Data from General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 22 ft 2 in (6.76 m) Wingspan: 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) Wing area: 160 sq ft (15 m2) Empty weight: 4,620 lb (2,096 kg) Gross weight: 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) Max takeoff weight: 7,485 lb (3,395 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Reaction Motors XLR-11 liquid-fuelled rocket motor, 8,000 lbf (36 kN) thrust with four combustion chamber/nozzle assemblies Performance

Maximum speed: 405 kn (466 mph, 750 km/h) Maximum speed: Mach 0.707 Range: 8.6 nmi (9.9 mi, 15.9 km) Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (14,000 m) Wing loading: 43.2 lb/sq ft (211 kg/m2) Thrust/weight: 1.3

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Northrop M2-F2

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Northrop M2-F2 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Northrop M2-F2 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Northrop M2-F2 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Northrop M2-F2

In research: Northrop M2-F2 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Northrop M2-F2 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Northrop M2-F2 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1960s United States experimental aircraft, Gliding in the United States, Lifting bodies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Northrop M2-F2 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Northrop M2-F2 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Northrop M2-F2 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Northrop M2-F2 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Northrop M2-F2 in simple terms?

The Northrop M2-F2 was a heavyweight lifting body based on studies at NASA's Ames and Langley research centers and built by the Northrop Corporation in 1966. Development The success of Dryden's M2-F1 program led to NASA's development and construction of two heavyweight lifting bodies based on studi…

Why does Northrop M2-F2 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Northrop M2-F2?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Northrop M2-F2.