Topic
Rocket
About: Rocket is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 14018 publications have been published within this topic receiving 95852 citations. The topic is also known as: rockets.
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TL;DR: In this article, the performance of an air turbo-rocket expander and a dual-mode ramjet was examined for a prospective supersonic cruise aircraft. But the performance was not optimal when the demand from the air-turbo-rocket matched the intake air flow capture and the engine was throttled varying the mixture ratio and the fan compression ratio.
39 citations
08 Jul 2007
39 citations
TL;DR: The results of the Monte Carlo analysis show that ATK-RBCC featuring airbreathing propulsion combined with a high lift-over-drag airframe exhibits significant operability benefits.
Abstract: Hypersonic airbreathing propulsion has been considered as an enhancement for access-to-space systems for decades. However, previous research usingmetrics such as takeoff gross weight and payload weight fraction has not shown conclusive benefits for airbreathing systems when compared with all-rocket launch vehicles. The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has developed new operability-based metrics relevant to U.S. Air Force missions: time to rendezvous with a target spacecraft, number of launch opportunities per day, and launch-window duration. Computation of the new metrics requires launch vehicle ascent trajectory optimization, orbital transfer solutions, andMonteCarlo analysis. Ascent optimization uses propulsion throttling, aerodynamic turning, andpitch control to command downrange and crossrange at the orbital insertion point while using minimum propellant. Then the twopoint boundary-value problem is solved to find a minimum-propellant transfer orbit to rendezvous with the target. Monte Carlo analysis assigns the orbital target a random starting position over the Earth and then propagates the orbit until rendezvous is accomplished and themetrics can be computed. The Air Force’s ReusableMilitary Launch System all-rocket launch vehicle RMLS 102 is compared against Alliant Techsystems’ rocket-based combined-cycle launch system ATK-RBCC. The results of the Monte Carlo analysis show that ATK-RBCC featuring airbreathing propulsion combined with a high lift-over-drag airframe exhibits significant operability benefits. The developed operability metrics could help to transform access to space by demonstrating clear payoffs from airbreathing propulsion.
39 citations