Newly constructed high speed wind tunnel at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) and related activities

Abstract

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science ( I S A S ) built a new high speed wind tunnel facility in 1989 in Sagamihara campus, where the ISAS was reiocated in 1987. Objective of the ,facility construction is to conduct the aerodynamic researches of high speed air andlor space rransporrnlion syst e m , air-breathing propulsion systems and recovery systems as well as basic studies in thefield of high speed aerodynamics. The fucility consists of a set of high pressure air-supply system, a transonic and a supersonic tunnels. Although both wind tunnels may be of conventional blow-down type, the manual procedures in tunnel operations and mea.rurements are highly simplified by making use offully-automatic control s y s t e m to save manpower and driving energy necessary for execution of the wind tunnel experi~ncnts. In this report are presented brief summaries of the facility and its performance, and some of the resulrs obtained in lunnel verification tests as well as a proposed experimental study ;hat will be made in neor future are shown for derr~onxtration.