NASA HL-20 lifting-body design

E520794

The NASA HL-20 lifting-body design is a 1980s-era crewed reentry vehicle concept developed as a compact, runway-landing spaceplane for safe, reusable transport to and from low Earth orbit.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf NASA spacecraft design study
crewed reentry vehicle concept
lifting-body spaceplane concept
aerodynamicTesting approach and landing simulations
wind tunnel tests at NASA Langley
configuration blunt-nosed lifting body with twin vertical fins
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
crewCapacity 8
up to 10 in some configurations
crewEnvironment pressurized crew cabin
designGoal abort capability during ascent
enhanced crew safety
low operational cost
rapid turnaround
runway operability
designObjective aircraft-like operations for space access
developer NASA Langley Research Center NERFINISHED
entryControl aerodynamic control surfaces for gliding flight
era 1980s
heatShieldType thermal protection tiles and blankets
influenced Sierra Nevada Corporation Dream Chaser NERFINISHED
inspiredBy Soviet BOR-4 lifting-body test vehicle NERFINISHED
intendedMission crew return from low Earth orbit
crewed transport to low Earth orbit
intendedUse crew rescue vehicle
space station crew transport
landingGear retractable tricycle landing gear
landingMode runway landing
launchMode launched atop expendable launch vehicle
length approximately 9 meters
massClass lightweight crew vehicle
missionDuration short-duration crew transport missions
mockupTesting crew ingress and egress tests performed
full-scale engineering mockup built
human factors evaluations conducted
propulsion no main orbital propulsion system on vehicle
reaction control system for on-orbit maneuvering
reentryProfile lifting reentry
low g-load reentry
relatedProgram NASA Personnel Launch System studies
reusability reusable
safetyFeature abort modes throughout ascent
runway landing at conventional airports
spacecraftType lifting body
spaceplane
status never flown
remained a design and mockup program
targetOrbit low Earth orbit
wingspan approximately 7 meters

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Dream Chaser spaceplane designInspirationFrom NASA HL-20 lifting-body design