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National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Research Memorandum - Experimental Investigation of the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Ballistic Type Missile

Lift, drag, and pitching-moment coefficients of a ballistic—type-
missile configuration have been determined from tests in the Ames 10— by
lh-inch supersonic windo tunnelO at Mach numbers from 2. 75 to 6. 3 and at
angles of attack from O0 to 16° . Pressure distributions and pressure-
drag coefficients were also determined at 0° angle of attack.

The missile consisted of a cone-cylinder combination with a long
slender spike added to the nose of the cone. As a consequence of the
lift carry-over to the forward part of the cylindrical afterbody, the
slopes of the lift and pitchingemoment-coefficient curves at 0° angle of
attack were found to be considerably larger than the predictions of
Newtonian impact theory.

At Mach numbers up to 5.0, the pressure-drag coefficient of the
missile was equal to that of a 10° cone even though there was an over-
compression of the flow at the concave corner between the spike and main
conical section. However, at Mach number 6.3, where the Reynolds number
was very low, there was an appreciable increase in pressure drag. This
effect, coupled with an increase in skin—friction coefficient, resulted
in a marked increase in total drag coefficient at the highest test Mach
number.

A test program was undertaken in the Ames 10- by lh-inch supersonic
wind tunnel to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of a ballistic—
type—missile configuration consisting of a cone-cylinder combination with
a long slender spike added to the nose of the cone. In particular, lift,
drag, and pitching moments were obtained at Mach numbers from 2. 75 to 6. 3
and at angles of attack from O0 to 16°.

During the course _of this investigation it was found that, at the
highest test Mach nuMbers, the drag near 00 angle of attack was appreci-
ably larger than would be expected. In order to study this matter, pres—
sures acting on the model at zero incidence were obtained throughout the
Mach number range.

The purpose of the preSent paper is to report the results of this
investigation.