Xref: utzoo rec.aviation:12985 sci.space.shuttle:2592
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!dan
From: dan@Apple.COM (Dan Allen)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: SR71 to be retired October 1st, rumors regarding SR-71
Message-ID: <27418@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 16 Mar 89 20:58:15 GMT
References: <524@gonzo.UUCP> <1475@petsd.UUCP> <13987@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> <976@nbife.NBI.COM> <1993NU052179@NDSUVM1> <7593@june.cs.washington.edu> <1829@hp-sdd.hp.com> <94193@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 28

In article <94193@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> macs@sun.UUCP (Manuel Cisneros) writes:
>As I understand it, the pilots wear some kind of pressure suit with
>environmental control included.  This is probably due to the extreme
>temperatures encountered by the plane (600 F skin temperature?) as well
>as the pressure 'way up there'.
>
>There was certainly a lot of accumulated knowledge put into the Shuttle,
>but as for the nature of the beast, I think that the Shuttle is considered
>more of a lifting body than a delta wing aircraft, which the Blackbird is.

They are different, but when I went to Beale AFB last year and saw all
of the pre-flight preparations for a "launch" as they call it, flying an
SR-71 becomes more like the Shuttle than you would imagine.  The pilots
are treated just like astronauts.  Pretty neat stuff.

I got to poke around an SR-71 while there, and it was leaking fuel as
people have mentioned.  On the undersurfaces of the delta wing the wing
is made of both titanium and some sort of plastic-synthetic material.
This material is most-likely a stealth material.

As we talked with the pilots we found out that they heat their food by
simply pressing it to the side of the plane inside the cockpit, which
nicely cooks their food, i.e., the skin of the SR is HOT!  By
comparison, a special food warmer is provided in the U-2/TR-1 because
their skin temperatures are normal by comparison.

Dan Allen
Apple Computer