Cockpit Instrumentation

Inside the cockpit, mixed between the circular windows, ports, door, and escape hatch, the pilot had all the instruments and controls he needed for all the various phases of flight. Figures 6.15 to 6.17 show views of the instruments and controls at the front of the cock­pit, to the left side of the pilot, and to the right side of the pilot, respectively. The instruments and controls are identified by their numbered callouts given from these figures.

The pilot used the control stick (33) and the rudder pedals (7 and 12) to fly subsonically and to maneuver using the RCS (15,38, and 41).

But for supersonic flight, trims (31,35, and 36) and backups (55) were used. The controls for the rocket engine included switches and a timer (34, 42, and 49—52).The feather was operated using valves and levers (1, 3, 39, 40, 43, and 44).

Cameras on the tail, on the fuselage, and in the cockpit (56) provid­ed video that was also an important source of data during flight testing. Mission Control used one of the cameras to monitor the feather and rocket engine in real-time. Two of the more unexpected things found in the cockpit were the ping-pong ball (8), which was used to provide a good visual during weightlessness, and the “Q-tip” (63), which the pilot used to wipe down excess moisture from the windows.

The controls for the ECS (13, 16, 17, and 64-69), battery (18—22), landing gear (45 and 53), radios (30), and other systems were also close at hand. However, important instruments like the air­speed indicator, Machmeter, altimeter, and energy altitude predictor were all displayed on the FDD of theTONU (11), and airspeed and altitude were also backed up on the Dynon (10).

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Fig. 6.11. One of the components of the Tier One navigation unit (TONU) was the flight director display (FDD). Like the glass cockpit of an airliner, the FDD showed many of the important instruments and readouts used by the pilot to fly SpaceShipOne. An initialize mode of the FDD is shown with SpaceShipOne lined up on Runway 30 of Mojave Airport. Mojave Aerospace Ventures LLC, provided courtesy of Scaled Composites

Fig. 6.12. As SpaceShipOne rockets to space, a boost mode is shown on the FDD. By closing together the red circle and green circle, the pilot achieved optimum trajectory. The pilot could also view the status of the rocket engine and oxidizer tank. Mojave Aerospace Ventures LLC, provided courtesy of Scaled Composites

Fig. 6.13. The FDD shows a reentry mode before SpaceShipOne returns to Earth’s atmosphere. The position of the feather, the operation of the reaction control system (RCS), and the condition of their pressurization sources are displayed. Mojave Aerospace Ventures LLC, provided courtesy of Scaled Composites

Fig. 6.14. After reentry and the feather is retracted, SpaceShipOne glides back to Mojave Airport. The test pilot used a glide mode on the FDD to help ensure SpaceShipOne reached the runway at correct position and speed. Mojave Aerospace Ventures LLC, provided courtesy of Scaled Composites

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Figure 6.15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31

Feather bottle low: A and В

Wing against stops and wing ТЕ locked

down indicators

Feather position

Launch separation controller

Spaceship “Armed” indicator

Mothership “Armed” indicator

Left rudder pedal

Ping-pong ball

Backup GPS navigation display Dynon backup altitude indicator FDD (flight director display) of theTONU (Tier One navigation unit)

Right rudder pedal Cabin altitude gauge

Landing pattern attitudes: normal and emergency (gear down)

RCS bottle pressure warning lights: A and В ECS bottle pressure warning lights: A and В Cabin pressure low warning light Battery voltage Bus tie A battery Selector switches В battery

Video transmit power TONU power

Trim circuit breakers: left stabilizer, right stabilizer, yaw, and backup trim Backup rate display

Stabilizer boost Damper heat

Circuit breaker panel indicators Communication/navigation panel: two radios, transponder, and intercom selector panel Pitch trim

Red button not used Pilot roll /pitch control stick Rocket motor fire Roll trim Yaw trim

FDD page control switches

RCS A enable switches Feather actuator Feather unlock RCS В enable switches Rocket motor arm

Feather lock pressure valves: A and В (the yellow feather lock valve also doubles as gear down emergency assist)

Feather actuator pressure valves: A and В

Landing gear handle

Nose cone release handle

Nitrous oxide dump valve

Backup dump (through main valve)

Rocket motor controller power: A and В buses Rocket motor controller reset

Motor armed indicator, main oxidizer valve commanded open indicator, and nitrogen pressure low indicator Rocket motor burn time controller Landing gear down indicators: left, nose, and right Lamp test

Backup trim (stabilizer) panel

Lipstick camera, forward cabin (focused on pilot)

Dry air feed line (vents between window panes to prevent fogging) GPS antenna (attached to window)

4-inch opening for fine cabin pressure relief valve

Fine cabin pressure relief valve (this is the storage location)

Emergency cabin pressure dump port (this is the storage location)

Oxygen control panel

“Q-tip”

Secondary cabin pressure bottle valve

Primary cabin pressure bottle valve

Pressure regulator and gauge

Defog control valve (for between window panes)

Cabin make-up air

Dehumidifier fans and CO2 scrubber fan switches 4-inch opening for emergency cabin pressure dump port

photo by Eric Long and Mark Avion, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

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After construction of SpaceShipOne and flight testing of White Knight were completed, it was time to begin flight testing SpaceShipOne. Flight tests consisted of captive carries, unpowered glides, rocket-powered flights, and spaceflights. Mojave Aerospace Ventures LLC, photograph by Scaled Composites