|
Langley Research Center (LaRC) is the oldest of NASA's field centers, located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It directly borders Poquoson, Virginia and Langley Field. LaRC focuses primarily on aeronautical research, though the Apollo lunar lander was flight-tested at the facility and a number of high-profile space missions have been planned and designed on-site. Established in 1917 by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Center currently devotes two-thirds of its programs to aeronautics, and the rest to space. LaRC researchers use more than 40 wind tunnels to study improved aircraft and spacecraft safety, performance, and efficiency. Between 1958 and 1963, when NASA started Project Mercury, LaRC served as the main office of the Space Task Group, with the office being transferred to the Manned Spacecraft Center (now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center) in Houston in 1962–63. The current director is Stephen G. Jurczyk. == History == In 1917, less than three years after it was created, the NACA established Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory on Langley Field. Both Langley Field and the Langley Laboratory are named for aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpont Langley. The Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps had established a base there earlier that same year. The first research facilities were in place and aeronautical research was started by 1920. Initially the laboratory included four researchers and 11 technicians.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Journey in Aeronautical Research: a Career at NASA-Langley Research Center, ch. 3 )〕 Langley Field and NACA began parallel growth as air power proved its utility during World War I. The center was originally established to explore the field of aerodynamic research involving airframe and propulsion engine design and performance. In 1934 the world's largest wind tunnel at that time was constructed at Langley Field with a 30 × 60 foot test section, which was large enough to test full scale aircraft, one of the first wind tunnels able to do this.〔("Faster, Safer Planes, Developed In Biggest Wind Tunnels" ) ''Popular Science'', April 1934〕〔("Full-Size Planes Tested In Big Air Tunnel" ) ''Popular Mechanics'', April 1935, pp. 520–521〕 (The 40 × 80 foot tunnel built at NASA Ames in California in the following decade stole away the "World's Largest" title.〔http://rotorcraft.arc.nasa.gov/Research/facilities/windtunnels.html〕) Early in 1945, the center expanded to include rocket research, leading to the establishment of a flight station at Wallops Island, Virginia. A further expansion of the research program permitted Langley Research Center to orbit payloads, starting with NASA's Explorer 9 balloon satellite in mid-February of 1961. As rocket research grew, aeronautics research continued to expand and played an important part when subsonic flight was advanced and supersonic and hypersonic flight were introduced. Langley Research Center can claim many historic firsts, some of which have proven to be revolutionary scientific breakthroughs. These accomplishments include the development of the concept of research aircraft leading to supersonic flight, the world's first transonic wind tunnels, the Lunar Landing Facility providing the simulation of lunar gravity, and the Viking program for Mars exploration.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 NASA Langley History and Description: Initial Activities )〕 Also, the grooving of aircraft runways was developed at Langley Research Center, which permits better grip by aircraft tires to the surface than a traditional smooth surface, was developed at Langley. This grooving is now the international standard for all runways around the world. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Langley Research Center」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|