boxkite

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A few years ago I saw a poster(?) of the West German space shuttle (or lifting body proposal?) ERNO (= Entwicklungsring Nord) LB 21 Bumerang inside the Peenemünde museum. After this 'meeting' I never saw it again, neither in books nor in magazines.

Who can help with details (illustrations included) on this spaceplane design?
 
Hmm...Boomerang as I have read was one of 2003 EADS-Astrium The European Future Launcher Preparatory
Program (FLPP)

"...New reusable fly-back boosters (RFBB) on an existing launcher using expendable solid rocket boosters. The main goal is to reduce the launch cost and specific cost, and to provide better flexibility in the launch manifest. The referred concept is dubbed “Boomerang”.
Heavy Launch Vehicle Class, The Boomerang Launch Vehicle is composed of :
· two reusable fly-back booster Boomerang
· a cryogenic core stage
· a cryogenic upper stage
· a upper module, i.e. the vehicle equipment bay, the payload interfaces and the fairing.

The basic characteristics of the launch system

LV launch mass, t 704 – 720
Mass of LV payload in LEO, t 21
Mass of LV payload in GTO, t 11.8
 

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From "Air et Cosmos " 1974 :
The consortium ART (MBB,Dornier,ERNO) experimental re-entry vehicule "Bumerang" has flying trials begonnen (From Transall) . They may end in 1979 .
From "Aviation Magazine " 1977:
cooperation Erno/MDD for post Apollo lifting bodies studies
 

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OK, we've collected all the Boomerangs now) Richard - thank you, it was new for me, too.
 
Thanks, Richard. That's the vehicle, I'm looking for. The mentioned poster(?) in the exhibition has shown the final stage(?) of the design with a cockpit (different to the test models in your scans).

Please, don't be sad, flateric ;) .
 
here two pic from original LB 21 Bumerang

is hang now in German "Museum Der Technik" in München.

and good Article over Lb 21 Bumerang Project
Bild der Wissenschaft nr 8
August 1972
page 808 to 817 include color picture


you need more info, boxkite ?
 

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Could this be the Bumerang too? Now I'm not to be sure, if I speak on the same 'thing', when I find this artwork in the file with all the material I've scanned in the EADS Bremen archive a few years ago ... - ???

Michel, I'm always interested in your offer (you can use PM or my e-mail address in case of larger attachments) - thank you in advance.
 

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YES, we need)))
 

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boxkite said:
Could this be the Bumerang too?

Looks like classic pre-final Shuttle configuration with Spacelab.
 
flateric said:
boxkite said:
Could this be the Bumerang too?

Looks like classic pre-final Shuttle configuration with Spacelab.

That is Pre-Final Shuttle with Spacelab ;D

LB 21 Bumerang was a Pure un-manned Lifting Body program of ERNO
More on that much later...
 
ERNO LB 21 Bumerang

In 1968/1969 ERNO made a proposal to the German Research Ministry
for a lifting body development program

Phase I
To find the best form of the lifting body (LB) in a wind tunnel test of LB 01 to LB 21
Alloy Material test with Inconcel, René 41 or Haynes
Also oxide ceramic was tested as heatshield

Phase II
Unmanned Model for flight test in the subsonic range
3.10 meters long, 1.90-meter span, 0.87 meters Leitwerk height.
Weight 310 kilopound (stand so in the magazine!)
This is inclusive Senor facilities for flight data, the data transmitter, and remote control.

with help of the Erprobungsstelle 61 of the Bundeswehr
made drop test with a Transall C-130 aircraft, Bumerang on a sled is roll out back of plane.
After separation of sled, It fly then remote-controlled from the second plane
end of glide fly, its unfolded a parachute and landing in water

First droptest over the North Sea, then fall 1971 south at island of Sardinia
Further droptest made in 1973.

(the Foto with LB21 under wing of C-130. like a x-15, are new to me )

Boomerang and the sleds were recovered from employed local Fisherman.
Under the supervision of staff ERNO

Phase III
Start of unmanned LB 21 with Europe II rocket
An singel orbital flight
With a 600 kiloPond heavy Model (stand so in the magazine!)

Unfortunately LB 21 Bomerang program end after Phase II
Because in 1974 ELDO-ESRO dissolved and ESA was founded.
All EUROPE II flights were canceled and development of the Ariane 1 began ...

Note
ERNO = Entwicklungsring Nord = Northern development circle
was a 1961 joint venture of Bremen-based Weserflug and Focke-Wulf with Hamburger Flugzeugbau.
to develop parts for rockets and get involved in space activities.
later they work with Bolkow on EUROPA 1 & 2 ROCKET, Third Stage ASTRIS.

Phase II model hangs in Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany
The full name of the museum in English is The German Museum of Masterpieces of Science and Technology (German: Deutsches Museum von Meisterwerken der Naturwissenschaft und Technik). tipcal german ;D
they got a big spaceflight archives with 12,000 folders with photographs, technical descriptions, manuals, newspaper and magazine articles, research reports, gray literature. also over LB 21 Bomerang data.
http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/archives/

unfortunate the museum refuse the Use of (in museum) taken Fotos in Internet. And also to sell them.
Dam....

wat got the Peenemünde museum on LB 21 Bomerang ?
 
And from Flightglobal,

the ERNO lift body.
http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1970/1970%20-%200758.html?search=Hamilton%20aircraft%20PROJECT
 

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Sorry, I'm late:
(from Aviation Week 1971)
 

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after Ron miller book "the dream machine" on page 496
claims that LB 21 Bumerang was flight test Model of MISTRAL TSTO second stage !
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,4096.msg32257.html#msg32257
 
Wow! A German lifting-body program, I'm stunned!

WTF mean kiloPond ? Kilo-pound, Ie 1000 Ibs or 454 kg ? ???
 
Archibald said:
Wow! A German lifting-body program, I'm stunned!

WTF mean kiloPond ? Kilo-pound, Ie 1000 Ibs or 454 kg ? ???

i don't know
 
The world is small.
I was at the Deutsche Museum of Munich yesterday and the "Bumerang" is exposed there in the astronautic gallery.
Lenght: 3.1m
Span: 1.9m
Weight: 350kg
 

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This is the best angle of view you could shot it? ;)
 
flateric said:
This is the best angle of view you could shot it? ;)

yes for my LB 21 picture
had to squeeze me between H-1 rocket engine and a Viking rocket engine

until museum guard ask in Bavaria German
"Wat are you doing there ?" :p
 
Indeed, quite difficult to have a good angle. the craft is suspended in a dark angle of the gallery, with little possibility to have a full view.
I took this other shot:
 

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A different ERNO orbiter concept (note additional MDC titles), found at the Speyer museum:
 

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No longer a lifty body, rather something a bit similar to Nord Veras...
 
"kiloPond ? Kilo-pound, "

kp, "kilopond", not "kilo pound" is an old unit for force. It is the force, which is executed
by a mass of 1 kg at sealevel on average. Since 1978 it's replaced by the unit N for
"Newton", which isn't dependent on the gravity g anymore, and so is constant independently
of the place.
1N = (aprox.) 0.102 kp = (aprox.) 0.225lbf
 
Trident said:
A different ERNO orbiter concept (note additional MDC titles), found at the Speyer museum:

this Space Shuttle Orbiter concept Phase B from 1970
ERNO made Drop test 1969 for NASA under Join venture ELDO/ESRO
 
Michel Van said:
Trident said:
A different ERNO orbiter concept (note additional MDC titles), found at the Speyer museum:
this Space Shuttle Orbiter concept Phase B from 1970
ERNO made Drop test 1969 for NASA under Join venture ELDO/ESRO

And from Flight International 27 April 1972 we have this, with ailerons and stabilisers intact :)

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%200966.html

(Some more on the ERNO Shuttle at http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200078.html)
 

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...and a nice article on the Bumerang, courtesy of Flight.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%200653.html

I liked this part: At this site, test flights F2, F3, F4 and F5 were carried out using the radio-controlled Bumerang II (watched by
two submarines of unknown nationality).


*Sigh* Sometimes I miss the Cold War...



EDIT: some news snippets at http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1973/1973%20-%202681.html and http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200077.html?search=bumerang
 

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postcard_brd_1972_bumerang_30_09_1972.jpg
 
Barrington Bond said:
:) Anyone translate?

not much time
but in Flight Global is a nice Article

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%200653.html?search=%22lifting%20body%22
 

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