Interesting presentation on the A-12 / SR-71
The Oxcart Story
- Thread starter tom slick
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I only saw your post after getting home late. I couldn't stop watching it so now it's really late but I wanted to thank you for bringing it to the board. There was much data here that I did not know before and, as I've reported here in the past, I worked on the program for four years! His delivery here is often hilarious even if forced at times and very enjoyable. Some of the engineering nuggets are simply jaw dropping - some for their simplicity and others for sheer genius. That whole program was breathtaking in both challenge and scope. We can only hope that such programs exist today in the black in case we ever need them. I've said it before, and trite and silly though it may be, but I do wonder if Kelly Johnson was an alien!
Thanks again for posting this.
My great uncle, Jack Branham shared a few things about CIA SR with me in 1992 about my grandfather up in north woods Wisconsin before we lost my great uncle back around '96. I have put together what I can about it here:
http://imgur.com/gallery/02NgX
Kelly Johnson didn't do wrong, but he didn't get it right. The program had to run it's course through the CIA to be successful. Back in 2008 the CIA burped up paperclip docs that were in it's possession from OSS days post WWII and in those was what is referenced as a turbine less jet engine, since that happened we now have Mach 10 capable scramjet engines. Kelly followed the example of the AQM-60 Kingfisher with a RAMJET and put an afterburner in it when what was intended was in place of the RAM bypass tubes, the scramjet was intended to be implemented there. Could not be done after the fact as after Kelly put the fairing on it and lengthened the airframe it was only capable of withstanding 2.5g. Mach 5 was intended for the final product comparable with Kingfisher but being a piloted craft. After that was done when satellites had taken over recon OXCART was to be placed into NASA.
http://imgur.com/gallery/02NgX
Kelly Johnson didn't do wrong, but he didn't get it right. The program had to run it's course through the CIA to be successful. Back in 2008 the CIA burped up paperclip docs that were in it's possession from OSS days post WWII and in those was what is referenced as a turbine less jet engine, since that happened we now have Mach 10 capable scramjet engines. Kelly followed the example of the AQM-60 Kingfisher with a RAMJET and put an afterburner in it when what was intended was in place of the RAM bypass tubes, the scramjet was intended to be implemented there. Could not be done after the fact as after Kelly put the fairing on it and lengthened the airframe it was only capable of withstanding 2.5g. Mach 5 was intended for the final product comparable with Kingfisher but being a piloted craft. After that was done when satellites had taken over recon OXCART was to be placed into NASA.
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There is also extended conversation with flight crew member Nathanal Whitaker in comments here:
https://plus.google.com/101475254952435866585/posts/7UU7Zor1b5u
https://plus.google.com/101475254952435866585/posts/7UU7Zor1b5u
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