{"id":591,"date":"2013-02-13T03:01:04","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T03:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=591"},"modified":"2013-02-13T03:01:04","modified_gmt":"2013-02-13T03:01:04","slug":"new-mexico-space-museum-volunteers-restoring-dc-x-for-exhibit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=591","title":{"rendered":"New Mexico space museum volunteers restoring DC-X for exhibit"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New Mexico Museum of Space History<\/a> in Alamogordo has a project to build an exhibit about the Delta Clipper eXperimental <\/a>(DC-X) reusable rocket project of the early 1990s:<\/p>\n

Restoration Center Open House Highlights
\n<\/b>DC-X Volunteers<\/b><\/p>\n

Alamogordo, NM: It\u2019s not exactly the Taos hum, but there\u2019s a growing buzz in Alamogordo, New Mexico, that\u2019s coming from across the tracks. Specifically, from the New Mexico Museum of Space History\u2019s Restoration Center which is located, coincidentally, across the railroad tracks off of Tenth Street.\u00a0 You\u2019ll mostly hear it on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, when volunteers converge on the building to continue what has become a serious mission for them.\u00a0 The target of the volunteer team\u2019s work is the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X), an operations and\u00a0technology demonstrator for a single stage to orbit reusable launch vehicle that had been flight tested at White Sands Missile Range in the early \u201890\u2019s.<\/p>\n

A remarkable vehicle, the DC-X was touted at the time as bringing America to the \u201cthreshold of a new era in space\u201d, making space available to the general public for business or pleasure. It demonstrated that a single stage to orbit vertical launch, vertical landing craft which could deliver a payload to low earth orbit, could be routinely and safely operated like an airplane and at one tenth the cost of conventional expendable launch vehicles or the Space Shuttle. With famed Apollo astronaut and space visionary Pete Conrad as the Flight Commander, a small dedicated group of government and industry engineers and program managers, sustained by avid supporters, were about to make aerospace history.<\/p>\n

The first flight of the DC-X from the “Clipper-Site” was on August 18, 1993, at Northrup Strip, now known as White Sands Space Harbor, on White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The team actually built a mini-spaceport along the edge of the Northrop Strip. It incorporated all the functions of an operational spaceport.<\/p>\n

It was a breathtaking vertica<\/b>l launch that left the spectators in attendance in awe. \u201cThe DC-X launched vertically, hovered in mid-air at 150 feet, and began to move sideways at a dogtrot. After traveling 350 feet, the onboard global-positioning satellite unit indicated that the DC-X was directly over its landing point. The spacecraft stopped mid-air again and, as the engines throttled back, began its successful vertical landing. Just like Buck Rogers,\u201d said an article from the Ada Joint Program Office of the U.S. Government.<\/p>\n

Behind the scenes though, before the launch, all was not perfect.<\/p>\n

An article in the Space Review written by Jeff Foust said: \u201cA key incident that many people recalled was the storm that hit White Sands the night before the scheduled first flight, damaging equipment and flooding the launch site. \u201cArriving at the pad at around 4:30 in the morning and seeing the damage was appalling,\u201d recalled Joaquin Castro, who was on the DC-X propulsion team. \u201cA pall of failure hung over the team as we surveyed the damage\u2026 there was no way we were going to fly that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conrad, though, was undaunted, Castro recalled. \u201cHe looked at all of us, got us in a huddle, and said, \u2018We have the opportunity to make history here today. We have a whole bunch of people coming to see us fly this afternoon. It will not be easy, but if anybody can do it, it\u2019s us. Let\u2019s not give up without trying.\u2019\u201d Conrad then picked up a shovel, Castro said, and started cleaning out one of the trenches at the site that has been filled with sand and water by the storm. \u201cThe rest is history.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Delta Clipper flew a total of 12 flights, eight under the McDonnell Douglas test program and four under the auspices of NASA as the DC-X\/A. According to the NASA website, \u201cduring flight 4 (as the DC-X\/A) on July 31, 1997, landing strut 2 failed to extend, causing the unbalanced vehicle to tip over on its landing pad.\u201d The LOX tank fractured, feeding fires that erupted on the landing pad. The LH2 tank finally failed as its internal pressure exceeded the ultimate design strength of the composite tank walls.\u00a0 The ensuing fire damaged large sections of the DC-XA. An investigation board was convened to determine the cause of the accident, which was later determined to be an unconnected helium pressurant line that supplied pressure to release the landing strut.<\/p>\n

The conclusion of the program was summed up well by the Reusable Launch Vehicle program director, Gary Payton. He stated, “The way the budget is now, we cannot afford to rebuild the Clipper Graham and will not be able to continue with that takeoff and landing technique, so we will declare victory with the DC-XA. Like any good experimental vehicle, the DC-XA flew until it was destroyed. We will always be impressed by the lessons this little rocket taught us about the right way to travel to the heavens…\u201d<\/p>\n

After the explosion, and following investigation, various pieces and parts of the DC-X\/XA, were gathered up and stored at Marshall Space Flight Center. The aeroshell had been completely destroyed along with most of the LOX tank. A major component, the thrust structure, was actually destined for the recycler but every time it got close to going to the junk yard it was mysteriously moved to a safer location. Eventually, members of the original DC-X team were able to get the thrust structure, the original LOX tank, the oxygen tank,\u00a0 the landing struts and a couple of huge crates of miscellaneous parts loaned to the NM Museum of Space History.<\/p>\n

Another thing DC-X did, said U.S. Air Force Major Jess Sponable, a Government Program Manager on the project, was jumpstart the development of commercial vehicles. There was an initial generation of vehicles and ventures that \u201ccaptured the vision of DC-X in different ways\u201d in the 1990s. More recently, a second generation inspired by DC-X has emerged, focused primarily, although not exclusively, on suborbital spaceflight. (From an article by Jeff Foust on Monday, August 25, 2008, published in The Space Review.)<\/p>\n

One of the new commercial space companies that drew inspiration from the DC-X program is Burt Rutan\u2019s Scaled Composites, the company that won the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE in 2004 with SpaceShipOne.\u00a0 Rutan\u2019s design fueled Richard Branson\u2019s imagination and he consequently founded Virgin Galactic, which will be flying SpaceShipTwo from Spaceport America in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

The Delta Clipper Experimental started a hum in the aerospace industry that is now being heard around the world, and today, as in 1993, that hum is emanating from the Tularosa Basin. A cast of volunteers, from retired engineers to middle school students spend two days a week on what has become a labor of love for them \u2013 the restoration of the original Delta Clipper. The burned thrust structure, seriously damaged in the fire that marked the end of the program, is now nearly ready for display at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Two quadrants have been polished and shined. Flashy new insulating tape adorns the hydraulic lines and the signs of the damage have all but been removed. The remaining two quadrants have been left in their original condition, the blackened metal a bleak reminder of that last flight. The landing struts, boxed for nearly twenty years, are now nearly as pristine as they were on the morning of the first flight.<\/p>\n

Several of the original engineers, spearheaded by Mike Johnson and Nino Polizzi, and program managers for the DC-X program have been working with Museum staff for the past several years on an exhibit design concept. In the last year, the restoration project began in earnest led by Museum Assistant Curator Jim Mayberry and lead volunteer Larry Strain. Their goal is to have as much as possible done by August 2013 when an estimated 200 DC-X\/XA team members and supporters are expected in Alamogordo to celebrate the DC-X first flight 20th<\/sup> Anniversary.<\/p>\n

The volunteers meet each Wednesday and Saturday morning at 9:00 am to continue their restoration project. Wednesday\u2019s group is a bit smaller than Saturday\u2019s, usually numbering about five or six local retirees. Saturday mornings, things liven up when high school and middle school students join the mix. Although the focus is on the DC-X, new projects are always in the works. The middle school students have started repairing a group of robots used by the museum\u2019s education department while another group of volunteers have been piecing the parts of a large GPS exhibit back together. Restoring an Apollo Lunar Landing Module model is next on their list.<\/p>\n

To highlight the hard work this dedicated group of volunteers, young and old, have done, the Museum of Space History is hosting a community open house at the Restoration Center on Saturday January 19th<\/sup> from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. Not only will the public be able to see the DC-X restoration project but they\u2019ll also have an opportunity for a behind the scenes tour of the Museum\u2019s support center, at 1402 Eddy Drive (near the old sawmill). From missiles to mock-ups of the lunar lander, the Museum is the caretaker of a significant collection of artifacts many of which are stored at the restoration center. The Museum expresses a special thank you to Tularosa Basin Telephone for sponsoring wireless internet service at the Restoration Center. For more information, contact Cathy Harper at the Museum at 575-437-2840 ext. 41153 or email at cathy.harper@state.nm.us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The New Mexico Museum of Space History is a division of the NM Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, call 575-437-2840 or toll free 1-877-333-6589 or visit the website at www.nmspacemuseum.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ClipperDCX_rocket_264x400\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Clipper DCX rocket:<\/b> The Delta Clipper flew a total of 12 flights, eight under the original Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO) sponsored test program and four under the auspices of NASA as the DC-X\/A. According to the NASA website, \u201cduring flight 4 (as the DC-X\/A) on July 31, 1997, landing strut 2 failed to extend, causing the unbalanced vehicle to tip over on its landing pad.\u201d The LOX tank fractured, feeding fires that erupted on the landing pad. The LH2 tank finally failed as its internal pressure exceeded the ultimate design strength of the composite tank walls.\u00a0 The ensuing fire damaged large sections of the DC-XA.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"DCX_Flying_273x400\"<\/a><\/p>\n

DCX flying:<\/b> \u201cIt was amazing to see the DC-X\u00a0 hanging in mid-air, while the preprogramed flight controls switched over to a horizontal flight direction while the vehicle remained in its vertical takeoff orientation.\u00a0 There was a spontaneous gasp and then cheers from the small crowd that was fortunate enough to see this historic flight take place.\u00a0 The DC-X flew steadily across to its next \u201cway-point\u201d 350 feet from the flight stand, puffing out little clouds of vapor as the pressure relief valves maintained the operating tank pressures.\u00a0\u00a0 It then hovered there while its flight control set up for the vertical landing on the concrete pad.\u00a0 The DC-X throttled back its four engines, extended the four landing gear, and settled down nearly in the center of the landing pad and then shut off its engines,\u201d said\u00a0 Program Manager William Gaubatz.<\/i><\/p>\n

\"15thAnniversaryGrou<\/a><\/p>\n

15th<\/sup> Anniversary Group Shot MSC:<\/b> On August 17, 18 & 19, 2008, 145 engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, writers and supporters of the DC-X converged on Alamogordo, New Mexico, to celebrate the 15th<\/sup> Anniversary of the first flight. Along with the reunion, a space conference was held focusing on \u201cSpaceflight for the 21st<\/sup> Century\u201d. Speakers included former NASA Director Michael Griffin, Dr. S. Pete Worden, Director of the NASA Ames Research Center, Mr. Gary Payton, Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for Space Programs, and many other dignitaries. This group poses in front of the DC-X artifacts housed at the Museum of Space History\u2019s restoration center.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On August 16, 17 and 18, 2013, the Museum will host the DC-X First Flight + Twenty Anniversary and space conference entitled \u201cSecuring the Past\/Inspiring the Future\u201d. The first day of the event will be held at Spaceport America, followed by two days at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, New Mexico.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"ShilohLangwell_500x375\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Shiloh Langwell:<\/b> Shiloh Langwell, works carefully to remove debris from the hydraulic lines attached to the thrust structure of the DC-X. Shiloh, a student at Alamogordo High School, began volunteering at the New Mexico Museum of Space History as a guide and has been awarded the Museum\u2019s Volunteer of the Quarter award. An aspiring engineer, Shiloh spends most Saturday mornings at the Museum\u2019s restoration center working on the DC-X.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"LarryStrain_500x331\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Larry Strain:<\/b> Volunteer Larry Strain gently removes corrosion from one of the DC-X landing struts. Strain, a federal retiree, volunteers five to six days each week at the NM Museum of Space History. Strain has taken the lead on the DC-X restoration and has been instrumental in reviving the student volunteer program, bringing half a dozen Chaparral Middle School students to help with the DC-X project and other activities. Volunteers meet each Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 9:00 am at the Museum\u2019s restoration center.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo has a project to build an exhibit about the Delta Clipper eXperimental (DC-X) reusable rocket project of the early 1990s: Restoration Center Open House Highlights DC-X Volunteers Alamogordo, NM: It\u2019s not exactly the Taos hum, but there\u2019s a growing buzz in Alamogordo, New Mexico, that\u2019s coming … Continue reading New Mexico space museum volunteers restoring DC-X for exhibit<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-rockets"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-9x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2793,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=2793","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":0},"title":"Space Hall of Fame to induct original DC-X team","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"An announcement from the NM Museum of Space History: International Space Hall of Fame to Induct Original DC-X Team Committee Seeks Contact Information For Missing Team Members \u00a0(Alamogordo, New Mexico) -\u00a0 The International Space Hall of Fame (ISHF) and the New Mexico Museum of Space History are honored to announce\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":876,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=876","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":1},"title":"NM space museum becomes Smithsonian affiliate, gets Apollo module exhibit","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's an announcement from the New Mexico Museum of Space History\u00a0 in Alamogordo, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Space History First State Museum to Obtain Smithsonian Affiliation Apollo Boilerplate Command Module First of Expected New Exhibits (Alamogordo, New Mexico) - The New Mexico Museum of Space History, a division\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"ApolloBoilerplate1_450x338","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/ApolloBoilerplate1_450x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3816,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3816","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":2},"title":"20th Anniversary of the first DC-X Flight – special event in New Mexico","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"You may have noticed the new ad here for the DC-X 20 year anniversary symposium, August 16-18, in New Mexico - The DC-X (Delta Clipper eXperimental) project was a seminal event in the development of the NewSpace approach to space development. Using a 1950's X-project organizational style, it accomplished all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"DC-X Anniversary Event","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.hobbyspace.com\/AAdmin\/Images\/Misc\/NMMSH\/DC-X_banner1_135x189.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6542,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=6542","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":3},"title":"Profile of rocketry pioneer Max Valier + Former defense chief writing asteroid-mining novel","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Michael Shinabery, \u00a0an education specialist and Humanities Scholar at\u00a0the\u00a0New Mexico Museum of Space History\u00a0in Alamogordo, New Mexico posts frequent articles on a range of space history topics. His latest article is about\u00a0Max Valier,\u00a0a rocketry pioneer and early science fiction writer :\u00a0\u00a0Valier Envisions Rocketry Through Engineering and Sci-Fi \u00a0(Part 1) -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3641,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3641","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":4},"title":"Citizens in Space selects Greg Kennedy as astronaut candidate","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"An announcement from Citizens in Space: Greg Kennedy Joins Citizen Astronaut Corps Citizens in Space, a project of the United States Rocket Academy, has announced the selection of its fifth citizen-astronaut candidate. Informal educator and aerospace historian Greg Kennedy will join four other citizen-astronaut candidates who are training to fly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space participation"","block_context":{"text":"Space participation","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=14"},"img":{"alt_text":"Greg Kennedy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citizensinspace.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Kennedy.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4043,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=4043","url_meta":{"origin":591,"position":5},"title":"The DC-X and Jerry Pournelle","author":"TopSpacer","date":"August 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The DC-X Anniversary and Workshop event in New Mexico finished yesterday. Find notes and reports on the event at Twitter \/ Search - #dcx Jeff Foust (jeff_foust) on Twitter Mike Griffin: The Spoiled Generation - Transterrestrial Musings DC-X At Twenty - Transterrestrial Musings Today sci-fi writer and computer guru Jerry\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=591"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":598,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591\/revisions\/598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}