Publications

This RTO/VKI Lecture Series was focused on critical technologies in hypersonic vehicle development, including ground test, numerical simulation and flight test. The introduction comprised a historical overview on hypersonic vehicle development as well as a thorough review of ongoing vehicle development and flight-testing programs. To provide sufficient background information, lectures were presented on compressible flows of perfect and imperfect gases, with special attention given to shock-wave boundary-layer interactions, laminar to turbulent transition, and high temperature gas properties. Advancements in computational modeling capabilities for hypersonic vehicle design were addressed, and the ongoing need for validation data, as well as a consistent validation methodology, where highlighted. Specific critical technology areas, including trajectory aerothermal environment definition, system trade studies, propulsion systems, aerodynamic control laws, flight instrumentation, thermal protection systems and flight experiments were all addressed in separate lectures given by international experts. In all of the presentations the needs of future hypersonic flight vehicle development programs were addressed.