Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Holloman AFB in New Mexico is home to the world’s only magnetically-levitated sled system in the world. Sleds are propelled down the 2,100 foot-long track to test sensitive electronic components for weapon systems.
Credit: Airman 1st Class Randahl J. Jenson

Last March, a magnetically-levitated rocket sled set a world record, racing across a nearly frictionless track at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

The speed attained by the 2,000-pound, magnetically-levitated (Maglev) sled was clocked at 633 miles per hour, operated by the 846th Test Squadron at the facility.

This was the fastest speed attained by the Maglev, done on March 4, said Lt. Col. Shawn Morgenstern, the Commander of the 846th Test Squadron. An earlier use of the Maglev achieved 513 miles per hour, beating a test of 510 miles per hour done a couple of years ago, he said.

Technicians from the 846th Test Squadron at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., pump liquid helium into a test sled here Aug. 18, 2015. This sled system runs on four super-conducting magnets that need to be cooled down to a few degrees above absolute zero to ensure the smoothest ride possible.
Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Randahl J. Jenson

One-of-a-kind

This magnetically-levitated sled is a one-of-a-kind system that uses powerful magnets to steady a rocket-propelled sled on a 2,100 foot-long track. In order for the magnets to work properly, engineers must first cool them to four degrees Kelvin above absolute zero—four degrees above the coldest an object can possibly get. This ensures the smoothest ride possible, explains Airman 1st Class Randahl J. Jenson of the 49th Wing Public Affairs.

“We use very cold liquid helium to essentially levitate the sled via super-conducting magnets,” Morgenstern said. “The Maglev system gives us the ability to test systems without much vibration,” he added.

Faster and faster

“If you have sensitive components that are a part of a weapon system and you want to test them in a realistic environment, a system like this allows us to do that. We measure those vibration environments at various speeds to understand what the system is really capable of as we continue to go faster and faster,” Morgenstern noted.

The recent test did not go exactly as planned, according to the AF public affairs report.

“What we have planned to do after this test is refine the design of the sled itself,” Morgenstern said. “We want to look at some lighter materials and continue to see what kind of capability we can get out of this system in terms of the speeds that we’re capable of going.”

“Go Mach 10” is the 846th Technical Squadron’s motto. Mach 10 is a hypersonic speed, a velocity reaching 7672.69 miles per hour.

There are many military applications of Maglev, from aircraft catapult systems to lobbing “smart” artillery shells. NASA has also investigated Maglev for launching purposes and Elon Musk’s “hyperloop” concept benefits from this type of technology.

Different technologies to push a spacecraft down a long rail have been tested in several settings, including this Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) System evaluated at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
Credit: NASA

History in the making

Holloman Air Force Base is not unfamiliar with historical milestones.

On December 10, 1954, Lt Col (Dr.) John P. Stapp received the nickname “The Fastest Man Alive” when he rode a rocket propelled test sled, Sonic Wind No. 1, to a speed of 632 miles per hour.

On December 10, 1954, Lt Col (Dr.) John P. Stapp received the nickname “The Fastest Man Alive” when he rode a rocket propelled test sled, Sonic Wind No. 1, to a speed of 632 miles per hour.
Credit: U.S. Air Force

Then there was Captain Joseph W. Kittinger Jr. and his small step, big leap out of an open balloon gondola at 102,800 feet on August 16, 1960 to evaluate techniques of high altitude bailout. Capt Kittinger’s jump lasted 13 minutes reaching a velocity of 614 miles per hour.

Lastly, there was the November 1961 flight of Enos, a chimpanzee trained at Holloman’s HAM facility (Holloman Aero-Medical laboratory). Enos was the first U.S. specimen launched into orbit, riding a Mercury-Atlas capsule that completed two orbits around the Earth. That intended 3-orbit mission was cut short due to a malfunctioning thruster and other technical difficulties. The flight however cleared the way for America’s first human orbital spaceflight and helped certify the Mercury capsule, thus green-lighting John Glenn’s milestone flight on February 20, 1962.