Northrop M2-F3

The Northrop M2-F3 is a heavyweight lifting body rebuilt from the Northrop M2-F2 after it crashed at the Dryden Flight Research Center in 1967. It was modified with an additional third vertical fin - centered between the tip fins - to improve control characteristics. The "M" refers to "manned" and "F" refers to "flight" version.

Development

Early flight testing of the M2-F1 and M2-F2 lifting body reentry configurations had validated the concept of piloted lifting body reentry from space. When the M2-F2 crashed on May 10, 1967, valuable information had already been obtained and was contributing to new designs.

NASA pilots said the M2-F2 had lateral control problems, so when the M2-F2 was rebuilt at Northrop and redesignated the M2-F3, it was modified with an additional third vertical fin - centered between the tip fins - to improve control characteristics.

After a three-year-long redesign and rebuilding effort, the M2-F3 was ready to fly. The May 1967 crash of the M2-F2 had torn off the left fin and landing gear. It had also damaged the external skin and internal structure. Flight Research Center engineers worked with Ames Research Center and the Air Force in redesigning the vehicle with a center fin to provide greater stability. At first, it seemed that the vehicle had been irreparably damaged, but the original manufacturer, Northrop, did the repair work and returned the redesigned M2-F3 with a center fin for stability to the FRC.

While the M2-F3 was still demanding to fly, the center fin eliminated the high risk of pilot-induced oscillation (PIO) that was characteristic of the M2-F2.

Operational history

The first flight of the M2-F3, with NASA pilot Bill Dana at the controls, was June 2, 1970. The modified vehicle exhibited much better lateral stability and control characteristics than before, and only three glide flights were necessary before the first powered flight on November 25, 1970. The 100th flight of the heavy-weight lifting bodies was completed on October 5, 1972, with pilot Bill Dana soaring to an altitude of 66,300 feet (20,200 m) and a Mach number of 1.370 (about Template:Convert) in the M2-F3. Over its 27 missions, the M2-F3 reached a top speed of Template:Convert (Mach 1.6). The highest altitude reached by the vehicle was 71,500 feet (20,790 m) during its last flight on December 20, 1972, with NASA pilot John Manke at the controls.

File:M2-F2.jpg

The M2-F3 at the National Air and Space Museum

A reaction control thruster (RCT) system, similar to that on orbiting spacecraft, was also installed to obtain research data about their effectiveness for vehicle control. As the M2-F3's portion of the lifting body program neared an end, it evaluated a rate command augmentation control system, and a side control stick similar to side-stick controllers now used on many modern aircraft.

NASA donated the M2-F3 vehicle to the Smithsonian Institution in December 1973. It is currently on display in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, outside the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar where the Space Shuttle Discovery is housed.

• M2-F3 pilots
  • William H. Dana - 19 flights
  • John A. Manke - 4 flights
  • Cecil W. Powell - 3 flights
  • Jerauld R. Gentry - 1 flight
• Most of text taken from NASA Dryden webpage.

Aircraft serial number

• NASA M2-F3 - NASA 803, 27 flights

M2-F3 flights

Vehicle Flight #	Date	Pilot	Mach	Velocity (km/h)	Altitude		Duration	Comments
					ft	m
M2-F3 #1	June 2, 1970	Dana	0.688	755	Template:Cvt	00:03:38	First M2-F3 Flight Unpowered glide
M2-F3 #2	July 21, 1970	Dana	0.660	708	Template:Cvt	00:03:48	Unpowered glide
M2-F3 #3	November 2, 1970	Dana	0.630	690	Template:Cvt	00:03:56	Unpowered glide
M2-F3 #4	November 25, 1970	Dana	0.809	859	Template:Cvt	00:06:17	1st powered flight
M2-F3 #5	February 9, 1971	Gentry	0.707	755	Template:Cvt	00:04:01	-
M2-F3 #6	February 26, 1971	Dana	0.773	821	Template:Cvt	00:05:48	Only 2 chambers lit
M2-F3 #7	July 23, 1971	Dana	0.930	988	Template:Cvt	00:05:53	-
M2-F3 #8	August 9, 1971	Dana	0.974	1,035	Template:Cvt	00:06:55	-
M2-F3 #9	August 25, 1971	Dana	1.095	1,164	Template:Cvt	00:06:30	1st supersonic flight
M2-F3 #10	September 24, 1971	Dana	0.728	772	Template:Cvt	00:03:30	Engine fire
M2-F3 #11	November 15, 1971	Dana	0.739	784	Template:Cvt	00:03:35	-
M2-F3 #12	December 1, 1971	Dana	1.274	1,357	Template:Cvt	00:06:31	-
M2-F3 #13	December 16, 1971	Dana	0.811	861	Template:Cvt	00:07:31	Only 2 chambers lit
M2-F3 #14	July 25, 1972	Dana	0.989	1,049	Template:Cvt	00:07:00	-
M2-F3 #15	August 11, 1972	Gentry	1.101	1,168	Template:Cvt	00:06:15	-
M2-F3 #16	August 24, 1972	Dana	1.266	1,344	Template:Cvt	00:06:16	-
M2-F3 #17	September 12, 1972	Dana	0.880	935	Template:Cvt	00:06:27	Small engine fire
M2-F3 #18	September 27, 1972	Dana	1.340	1,424	Template:Cvt	00:06:07	-
M2-F3 #19	October 5, 1972	Dana	1.370	1,455	Template:Cvt	00:06:16	100th lifting body flight
M2-F3 #20	October 19, 1972	Manke	0.905	961	Template:Cvt	00:05:59	-
M2-F3 #21	November 1, 1972	Manke	1.213	1,292	Template:Cvt	00:06:18	-
M2-F3 #22	November 9, 1972	Powell	0.906	961	Template:Cvt	00:06:04	-
M2-F3 #23	November 21, 1972	Manke	1.435	1,524	Template:Cvt	00:06:17	Planned Rosamond Lakebed landing
M2-F3 #24	November 29, 1972	Powell	1.348	1,432	Template:Cvt	00:05:57	-
M2-F3 #25	December 6, 1972	Powell	1.191	1,265	Template:Cvt	00:05:32	Planned Rosamond Lakebed landing
M2-F3 #26	December 13, 1972	Dana	1.613	1,712	Template:Cvt	00:06:23	Fastest flight
M2-F3 #27	December 20, 1972	Manke	1.294	1,378	Template:Cvt	00:06:30	Highest flight Last M2-F3 flight

Specifications (M2-F3)

File:NASA M2-F3 diagram.png

NASA M2-F3 Lifting Body Diagram

Gallery

• File:M2F3museum.JPG
• File:M2F3museum1.JPG
• File:M2F3museum2.JPG
• File:M2F3museum3.JPG

See also

Comparable aircraft:

• X-24
• M2-F1
• M2-F2
• HL-10

External links

• NASA Dryden M2-F3 Photo Collection
• Wingless Flight: The Lifting Body Story. NASA History Series SP-4220 1997 PDF