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Meeting	ACGS Committee Meeting 111 - Reno, Nevada - March 2013
Agenda Location	9 SUBCOMMITTEE B – MISSILES AND SPACE 9.3 History of Lifting Bodies
Title	History of Lifting Bodies
Presenter	Russell Howard
Affiliation	Sierra Nevada Corporation
Available Downloads*	presentation
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Abstract	Presentation: Lifting Body History Dr. Russell Howard Flight Dynamics & Integrated Analysis Division Lead Dream Chaser Project Sierra Nevada Corporation Abstract: Lifting bodies have been discussed, analyzed, built and tested since the late 1950s. They offer their own design challenges, along with advantages and disadvantages over other types of reentry vehicle. This presentation describes the three major lifting body design lineages, originating with 1) Martin & Air Force Flight Dynamics Lab, 2) NASA Ames & Dryden, and 3) NASA Langley & The Aerospace Corporation. Flight and development histories of each are shown, with particular attention to the Russian influence on the LaRC HL-20 concept. The HL-20, while never built, led to the current Dream Chaser vehicle being developed by the Sierra Nevada Corporation under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Basic aerodynamic features of lifting bodies are discussed, along with the effects of design variations including lateral profile, longitudinal profile, fin design and sizing. What can’t be fixed with aerodynamics becomes a GN&C problem, so the GN&C issues peculiar to lifting bodies are also addressed including trim, control effectiveness, and landing constraints. Lifting body design maturity, applications, and prospects are summarized.