LYNX REPORT JUNE 2016 xcor.com
THE XCOR LYNX Lynx is now mounted on its final jack points, allowing for final integration of the landing gear and propulsion system. Lynx has been fully primed and is awaiting its paint and livery design. The vehicle will not be moved until it is ready for its weight on gear testing, after the landing gear and wings have been installed. In this configuration, final assembly and installation of the manual control system is moving forward, along with integration of the cockpit electronics and instrumentation. XCOR LIVERY DESIGN CLICK HERE TO VIEW
JACK POINTS
PUMP TEST STAND Before they are used to power XCOR s rocket engines, every cryogenic pump is first tested on the Pump Test Stand. This test stand features a host of sensors meant to capture some information not available on other test stands. Like XCOR s other test stands, the Pump Test Stand is built on a trailer, which allows it to be wheeled around for filling, modifications, and testing. FACETED INSULATION The faceted insulation around the tanks is made up of sections with flat faces that make them easy to machine. The stand features two tanks attached to either side of the pump. Don t be fooled by their outward appearance. Although the tanks look faceted on the outside, what you see is insulation. They are actually spheres on the inside. Cryogenic liquid is pumped from the lower tank to the upper tank by the pump, and then is recycled back to the first tank in between runs. This recycling of propellants allows the test team to get the maximum amount of time out of a test day. RECYCLING CRYOGENIC LIQUID Cryogenic liquids are liquefied gases that are kept in their liquid state at very low temperatures, e.g. Liquid Oxygen.
PUMP TEST STAND The Pump Test Stand is currently in the process of being updated and refurbished in preparation for more pump testing. The stand will also eventually be converted to run in a closed loop system similar to how the Lynx engines are powered. This update to the test stand will allow XCOR to do more testing for lower costs.
THE COCKPIT Visitors to our recent Operation Hangar 61-16 event were treated to the sight of the Lynx instrument panels installed in the Lynx cockpit. For the visit, temporary wiring was run to power up the electronic flight instrumentation (EFIS) in a demo mode. Flight wiring will be installed in the coming months. The instrument panels provide control and instrumentation for the crew of the Lynx to safely operate it in the air and in space. In addition to flight instruments like an altimeter and airspeed indicator, the panels also carry displays showing fuel and pressurization levels, engine health, and so on. The instrument panels are hinged for easy maintenance, and can be removed to allow for more installation work in the cockpit.
ENGINE ANOMALY FLIGHT SAFETY SYSTEM In the event of a hard start or other engine anomaly, the blast shield (outlined in orange) is designed to contain the explosion and major shrapnel, and prevent the damage from affecting the other parts of the propulsion system. Although XCOR has never to date lost an engine to a hard start, XCOR Engineers made a point of designing the system to handle just such an eventuality. Lynx is designed with redundant components in mind. There are two completely separate pump systems each powering two of the Lynx s four XR-5K18 rocket engines. If there is a problem encountered by one engine or pump set the other pump set will continue to operate unaffected. This ensures that even if the Lynx were to lose an engine, the pilot will still have the energy necessary to land the vehicle safely.
THE BLAST SHIELD A mockup engine, mounted in the flight blast shield, was loaded with high explosives and detonated. The blast shield contained the engine components successfully with minimal damage. BLAST SHIELD AFTER EXPLOSIVE TEST BLAST SHIELD BEFORE EXPLOSIVE TEST
THE IMU In March, XCOR completed qualification testing of the Lynx navigation system, the IMU. This system uses off-the-shelf hardware to retrieve a GPS position, and improve it with inertial measurement techniques for additional accuracy and protection from GPS outages. At the speeds and altitudes the Lynx flies, GPS is not always available, so an inertial unit that can continue to provide good position information is a must. Testing was conducted in the laboratory, in an automobile, and finally in an aircraft. XCOR engineer Ron Mathis piloted his Beech Baron while XCOR engineer Erik Anderson acted as flight test engineer and put the system through its paces. The system behaved flawlessly and continued to provide excellent position data when the GPS signal was suppressed.
THE PROPULSION SYSTEM RENDERING The Lynx propulsion system has moved forward significantly over the past several months with a high level of detail added to the master CAD file. This level of detail will allow for accurate placement of hardware and plumbing which is essential to make sure that everything fits inside the aft cowling. Maintenance and repair considerations are very important when placing hardware and plumbing inside of the engine truss, to avoid significant delays between flights. There is a lot of hardware to consider, and figuring out where the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle go early on, will benefit us all later in preparing for flight.
OPERATION HANGAR 61-16 During our yearly event, we open the doors of the XCOR Facilities in Mojave, California, visitors were allowed to sign Lynx. xcor.com