The NASA Cadillac
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Article by Alvis 3.1 |
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Research into the lifting body
shapes that would one day lead to the Space Shuttle took a torturous path in the
1960s. Several varied shapes were tried, but the oddest one of all was the
Cadillac Lifting Body.
The whole project actually started as a joke played on some Northrop engineers.
A couple of the NASA test pilots "found" an old '59 Caddy, and bolted
some landing gear onto it, then towed it aloft in front of the horrified
aerodynamicists. Amazingly, the car actually flew quite well. With the horror
behind them, several of the pilots and Northrop engineers set about modifying
the car to test flight status.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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On June 18, 1971, the vehicle was
ready to fly. Deemed too risky by higher echelons in NASA, clearance to use the
NB-52 was denied. However, the pilots were able to "borrow" a C-130
from the USAF for the afternoon, and promptly pushed the car out the back of the
Hercules at about 28,000 feet. The car flew amazingly well, touching down
12 minutes later. Other than losing a windshield wiper and having the fuzzy dice
fall off the mirror, the flight was judged a success. The Caddy went on to
perform 12 more successful flights, exploring all corners of it's flight
envelope.
However, the
project really had no useful purpose, and once the General Accounting Office
found out about the shenanigans, all NASA support was forcibly withdrawn. Rather
than scrap the car, it was donated to Fast Eddy's Caddy Ranch in Reno, Nevada,
where it can still be seen as part of the massive 1.3 acre roof display.
Alvis 3.1