biology

Pye Wacket

Pye Wacket is a biology 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 Pye Wacket rather than just read about it. In short: Pye Wacket was the codename for an experimental lenticular-form air-to-air missile developed by the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation in 1957. Intended as a defensive missile for the B-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 bomber, the program saw extensive wind-tunnel testing and seemed promising; however, the cancellation of the B-70 removed the requirement for the missile, and the project was cancelled.

Key takeaways

Pye Wacket belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pye Wacket to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pye Wacket from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Pye Wacket was the codename for an experimental lenticular-form air-to-air missile developed by the Convair Division of the General Dynamics Corporation in 1957. Intended as a defensive missile for the B-70 Valkyrie Mach 3 bomber, the program saw extensive wind-tunnel testing and seemed promising; however, the cancellation of the B-70 removed the requirement for the missile, and the project was cancelled.

Genesis Project "Pye Wacket", officially known as the Lenticular Defense Missile (LDM) Program and by the project number WS-740A, was instituted in 1958 in response to a US Air Force request for a Defensive Anti-Missile System (DAMS) to protect the proposed B-70 Valkyrie strategic bomber from high-speed, high-altitude surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and interceptor aircraft. The extreme speed and operating altitude of the Valkyrie was considered sufficient protection against Soviet interceptors of the time. However it was anticipated that future aircraft and missile developments would reduce the B-70's margin of superiority, especially following the SA-2 Guideline SAM being displayed during the 1957 May Day parade. Intelligence reports indicated that SAMs were being deployed in large numbers throughout Russia, and it was believed the SA-2 was capable of being fitted with a nuclear warhead. Therefore, it was decided that the B-70 would need an interceptor missile to defend itself against the perceived threat.

Design

The specifications for the proposed DAMS called for an air-launched defensive missile, capable of engaging incoming missiles at relative speeds of up to Mach 7, surviving a rate of acceleration between 60 g to 250 g, and being able to undertake rapid terminal-phase guidance changes in any direction. Following initial studies and wind-tunnel testing at the Air Proving Ground Center and Arnold Engineering Development Center, a radically unconventional design emerged that featured a lenticular, wedge-shaped airframe. The lenticular design was considered to have the best handling characteristics at extremely high angles of attack, and would theoretically possess ideal mass distribution, giving the missile outstanding terminal agility. In addition, the lenticular design allowed for omnidirectional launching from the carrying aircraft. Following the feasibility studies, a contract for the development of the DAMS design was awarded to the Convair division of the General Dynamics Corporation in Pomona, California in 1959. Wind tunnel testing of several options for control of the missile resulted in an arrangement of six small rocket thrusters being selected for reaction control. The airframe of the missile was constructed of magnesium alloy, and main power would be provided by three Thiokol M58A2 solid-fuel rockets.

Cancellation Pye Wacket was planned to be tested using a rocket sled launcher, with a Mach 5 booster rocket being used later in the test program. There are unconfirmed reports that some tests were conducted in 1960. However the high cost and perceived vulnerability of the B-70 against the projected performance of Soviet air defenses, combined with the 1960 U-2 incident in which a high-flying spyplane had been shot down, led to the decision that intercontinental ballistic missiles would, in the future, be the primary nuclear delivery force of the United States, and therefore the B-70 project was cancelled in early 1961. Pye Wacket, its delivery vehicle no longer available, is believed to have been cancelled soon after, although the ultimate fate of the program remains classified.

See also Flying saucer Lenticular Reentry Vehicle

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links Pye Wacket - The Full Story at Astronautix.com

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pye Wacket

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pye Wacket claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 Pye Wacket 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 Pye Wacket 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 Pye Wacket

In research: Pye Wacket appears in biology 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 Pye Wacket 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: Pye Wacket is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Abandoned military rocket and missile projects of the United States, Cold War air-to-air missiles of the United States, Experimental missiles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pye Wacket 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 Pye Wacket in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pye Wacket 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 Pye Wacket out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pye Wacket in simple terms?

Why does Pye Wacket matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Pye Wacket?

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 Pye Wacket.