Question for Beeker (or other knowledgable souls)

Rubecula

In the development of the shuttle Nasa test flew a number of 'lifting' bodies type of craft. (one of which was filmed crashing and used in the start sequence of the Six Million Dollar Man I seem to remember)

Anyway I have heard that the development of these lifting bodies never actually ceased when the shuttle was finally finished and they were in fact used to develope the replacement of the shuttle.

Do you know if this is true, and where we now stand with these vehicles?

maguffin

The lifting body craft mostly shown was a Northrop M2-F2; however, in the episode "The Deadly Replay," a Northrop HL-10, identified as such in dialog, was used.
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 heavy-weight, entry-configuration lifting bodies. Its successful development as a research test vehicle answered many of the generic questions about these vehicles.
During the early phases of the Space Shuttle development program, lifting bodies patterned on the HL-10 shape were one of three major types of proposals. These were later rejected as it proved difficult to fit cylindrical fuel tanks into the always-curving fuselage, and from then on most designs focused on more conventional delta wing craft.

Just a little garnered from googling 'six million dollar man'

maguffin

Rubecula

Rubecula wrote: »

In the development of the shuttle Nasa test flew a number of 'lifting' bodies type of craft. (one of which was filmed crashing and used in the start sequence of the Six Million Dollar Man I seem to remember)

Anyway I have heard that the development of these lifting bodies never actually ceased when the shuttle was finally finished and they were in fact used to develope the replacement of the shuttle.

Do you know if this is true, and where we now stand with these vehicles?

Well a few of the X-planes were lifting bodies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-23_PRIME
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Marietta_X-24B
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin-Marietta_X-24

And:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_HL-10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_M2-F2

Recently here was this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_X-38
But was canceled in 2002.

And according to wikipedia, the show says the Six Million Dollar Man flew and crashed in the HL-10. They showed the HL-10 being dropped from a B-52 but the actual crash was of a M2-F2.
Specifically this guy who luckily lived, but apparently not happy having his crash shown on TV every week.

Rubecula

Thanks guys. You know I never thought to google the show. DOH!:pac: