Martin Marietta X-24A and Yarmouk River

The Martin Marietta X-24A was an experimental US aircraft developed from a joint USAF-NASA program named PILOT (1963–1975). It was designed and built to test lifting body concepts, experimenting with the concept of unpowered reentry and landing, later used by the Space Shuttle.

Contents 1 Design and development 1.1 SV-5J 2 Operational history 3 Specifications (X-24A) 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Design and development The X-24A begins its rocket-powered flight after being launched from the wing of NASA's B-52 mothership, Balls 8, during a 1970 research flight

The X-24 was one of a group of lifting bodies flown by the NASA Flight Research Center (now Dryden Flight Research Center) in a joint program with the U.S. Air Force at Edwards Air Force Base in California from 1963 to 1975. The lifting bodies were used to demonstrate the ability of pilots to maneuver and safely land wingless vehicles designed to fly back to Earth from space and be landed like an airplane at a predetermined site.

Lifting bodies’ aerodynamic lift, essential to flight in the atmosphere, was obtained from their shape. The addition of fins and control surfaces allowed the pilots to stabilize and control the vehicles and regulate their flight paths.

The X-24 (Model SV-5P) was built by Martin Marietta and flown from Edwards AFB, California. The X-24A was the fourth lifting body design to fly; it followed the NASA M2-F1 in 1964, the Northrop HL-10 in (1966), the Northrop M2-F2 in 1968 and preceded the Northrop M2-F3 (1970).

The X-24A was a fat, short teardrop shape with vertical fins for control. It made its first, unpowered, glide flight on April 17, 1969 with Air Force Maj. Jerauld R. Gentry at the controls. Gentry also piloted its first powered flight on March 19, 1970. The craft was taken to around 45,000 feet (13.7 km) by a modified B-52 and then drop launched, then either glided down or used its rocket engine to ascend to higher altitudes before gliding down. The X-24A was flown 28 times at speeds up to 1,036 mph (1,667 km/h) and altitudes up to 71,400 feet (21.8 km). SV-5J

After learning about a remark by Chuck Yeager that he would like to have some jet-powered lifting bodies for training purposes, Martin designed and built two examples of the SV-5J on their own initiative, powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J60-PW-1 jet engine of 1360 kgf, in place of the X-24A's Reaction Motors XLR-11-RM-13 rocket engine. Martin also manufactured a full-scale, unflyable, mock-up of the SV-5J. (There is some confusion over the number built, which may be due to the mock-up being included in the production list.)

Both flyable examples built were never flown due to Martin being unable to convince Milt Thompson to fly the SV-5J, even after offering a $20,000 bonus. After the original X-24A was converted to X-24B, one of the SV-5Js was converted to represent the X-24A, for display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, beside the original X-24B. The unflyable mock-up ended up in Hollywood and was used in several movies as a space-ship prop.

X-24A mock-up on display at USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH.

X-24B on display at USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, OH. Operational history

The X-24A was flown 28 times in the program that, like the HL-10, validated the concept that a Space Shuttle vehicle could be landed unpowered. The fastest speed achieved by the X-24A was 1,036 miles per hour (1667 km/h or Mach 1.4). Its maximum altitude was 71,400 feet (21.8 km) . It was powered by an XLR-11 rocket engine with a maximum theoretical vacuum thrust of 8,480 pounds force (37.7 kN).

The X-24A was modified into the more stable X-24B with an entirely different shape in 1972. The bulbous shape of the X-24A was converted into a "flying flatiron" shape with a rounded top, flat bottom, and double delta planform that ended in a pointed nose. It was the basis for the Martin SV-5J. The X-24A shape was later borrowed for the X-38 Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) technology demonstrator for the International Space Station. X-24A pilots Jerauld R. Gentry - 13 flights John A. Manke - 12 flights Cecil W. Powell - 3 flights Specifications (X-24A)

General characteristics Crew: one pilot Length: 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) Wingspan: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) Wing area: 195 ft² (18.1 m²) Empty weight: 6,360 lb (2,885 kg) Loaded weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg) Max. takeoff weight: 11,447 lb (5,192 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Reaction Motors XLR-11rs four-chamber rocket engine, 8,480 lbf (37.7 kN)

Performance Maximum speed: 1,036 mph (1,667 km/h) Range: 45 miles (72 km) Service ceiling: 71,407 ft (21,763 m) Wing loading: 59 lb/ft² (288 kg/m²) Thrust/weight: 0.70 See also Related development X-23 PRIME Martin Marietta X-24B Lockheed L-301 (X-24C) Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era M2-F1 M2-F2 M2-F3 HL-10 Space Shuttle Related lists List of experimental aircraft

Yarmouk River and Martin Marietta X-24A

The Yarmuk River, sometimes also spelled "Yarmouk" (Arabic: نهر اليرموك‎, Nahr Al-Yarmuk, or شريعة المناذرة, Shariat el Menadhirah; Hebrew: נהר הירמוך‎, Nahar HaYarmukh; Ancient Greek: Ἱερομύκης, ; Latin: Hieromices) is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It runs in Jordan, Syria, and Israel and drains much of the Hauran plateau. Its main tributaries are the wadis of 'Allan and Ruqqad from the north, Ehreir and Zeizun from the east.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Prehistory 1.2 Ancient 1.3 Modern 2 References and external links

History Prehistory

The Yarmukian Culture is a Pottery Neolithic culture that inhabited parts of Palestine and Jordan. Its type site is at Sha'ar HaGolan, on the river mouth. Early Bronze Age I is represented in the Golan only in the area of the river. Ancient

Yarmuk forms a natural border between the plains to the north - Hauran, Bashan and Golan - and the Gilead mountains to the south. Thus it has often served as boundary line between political entities. The Aramean kingdoms and the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), of the Hebrew bible, might have settled this way occasionally. Under the Assyrian and Persian empires the province of Ashteroth Karnaim laid to the north, and that of Gal'azu (Gilead) to the south. In Hellenistic times, the territory of Hippos was across from those of Gadara and Abila (Abel) on the south, while Dion sat on the eastern tributaries. Abila (Tel Abil) is attested in the 14th-century BC Amarna Letters. This is possibly the case also for Geshur, assumed to have laid north of the river. Other historical cities on the course of the river are Dara'a, Heet, Jalin; and the archaeological sites of Tell Shihab and Khirbet ed-Duweir (See Lo-debar).

The Battle of Yarmouk, where Muslim forces defeated those of the Byzantine Empire and gained control of Syria, took place north of the river in 636. Modern

Today the ones who straddle the river are Israel and Jordan close to the Jordan Valley, and Syria and Jordan further upstream (a border largely inherited from the 1923 Franco-British Boundary Agreement). The area of Al-Hamma, or Hamat Gader in the valley is held by Israel but claimed by Syria.

A fork of the Hejaz Railway (connecting to the Jezreel Valley railway in Samakh), run in the river valley between 1905 and 1946. It was deprecated after being bombed in the Night of the Bridges. The hydroplant of Naharayim, on the junction with Jordan River, served Mandatory Palestine from 1932 to 1948. The Al-Wehda Dam was constructed in Jordan and Syria in the 2000s.
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