An Early TSTO Fully Reusable Vehicle Design Used to “Calibrate” Stage 1 Combined-Cycle Hypersonic Propulsion Systems 2000-01-5602
Two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) conceptual-level vehicle designs were evolved by the Lockheed-California Company in the mid-1960s. The purpose was to provide a vehicle-systems-level basis for assessing the payload performance potential of a new class of Stage 1 propulsion systems: combined-cycle airbreathing/rocket engines. TSTO configurations were also established as conventional all-rocket and all-airbreathing engine comparison cases. These vehicle designs and their operating characteristics, along with their orbital payload-delivery capabilities, are presented for consideration by today's space transportation systems planning community.
Citation: Escher, W. and Ehrlich, C., "An Early TSTO Fully Reusable Vehicle Design Used to “Calibrate” Stage 1 Combined-Cycle Hypersonic Propulsion Systems," SAE Technical Paper 2000-01-5602, 2000, https://doi.org/10.4271/2000-01-5602. Download Citation
Author(s):
William J. D. Escher, Carl F. Ehrlich
Affiliated:
SAIC-Huntsville, Consultant
Pages: 22
Event:
World Aviation Congress & Exposition
ISSN:
0148-7191
e-ISSN:
2688-3627
Also in:
SAE 2000 Transactions Journal of Aerospace-V109-1
Related Topics:
Rocket engines
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