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University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics Seminar Series: High OpTempo For Hypersonics Flight Testing
November 30, 2021 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm CST
Abstract
High OpTempo for Hypersonics is a Department of Defense funded flight test effort led by Navy Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) and conducted by Sandia National Laboratories to enable low-cost, rapidly-recurring flight tests for the exposure of hypersonic vehicle components and materials to relative hypersonic flight environments. The program’s flight tests center around the use of “Precision Sounding Rockets”, which utilize modern, highly-capable avionics systems to provide advanced flight profiles and data transmission at a fraction of the cost of traditional hypersonic flight tests. The program currently launches annual or bi-annual flight tests of 2-3 vehicles each, supporting a test array including dozens of experimental navigational, communications, materials, and proposed weapons system components. Program flight vehicles are designed to use advanced trajectory shaping techniques such as command stage separation, cold-gas attitude control systems, centrifugal despin, and shroud or payload door exposure and separation events to tailor flight conditions and test events to the individual experimenter’s needs. High OpTempo for Hypersonics is currently exploring options to increase flight test campaigns to quarterly recurrence, supporting up to a dozen flight tests per year.
RSVP by 5:00 pm on November 29, 2021.
Ben English is a 2011 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, earning a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with distinction. He is also a 2013 graduate of Texas A&M University, earning a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering while studying Hypersonic Boundary Layer Turbulence under Dr. Rodney Bowersox at the National Aerothermochemistry and Hypersonics Laboratory. Ben completed 8 years of service in the United States Marine Corps prior to beginning employment as an R&D Mechanical Engineer at Sandia National Labs. At Sandia, he was involved with the 2019 High Operational Tempo Campaign 3, as well as numerous larger weapon system tests. Ben served as a Mechanical Engineer and the Program Manager for the recently completed High OpTempo for Hypersonics (H4H) Campaign 1 Flight Test, and is currently serving as the Missile Systems Manager and H4H Manager of Record for Campaign 2 Flight Test and beyond.
Register now for the High OpTempo For Hypersonics Flight Testing seminar.
Joint Hypersonics Transition Office
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology