Aerodynamic yaw controller for the space shuttle orbiter

A wind-tunnel investigation of the effectiveness of an aerodynamic yaw controller mounted on the lower surface of a Space Shuttle Orbiter model body flap was conducted in the Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 tunnel. The controller, consisting of a 60-deg delta fin mounted perpendicular to the body-flap lower surface and yawed 30 (leg to the freestream direction, was tested at orbiter angles of attack from 20 to 40 deg at zero sideslip for a Reynolds number based on the wing mean aerodynamic chord of 0.66 x 10(6). The aerodynamic control characteristics are presented with an analysis of the effectiveness of the controller in making a bank maneuver for Mach 18 flight conditions. The analysis shows that the controller is as effective as the reaction control system in initiating the bank maneuver. These results warrant further studies to determine the aerodynamic heating on the control surfaces and the effects of controller hinge-line cant angle and body-flap deflection on the controller effectiveness.