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Athena: advanced air launched space booster
| Content Provider | NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
|---|---|
| Author | Henderson, Scott Patonis Sr., Hristos Reese Sr., Charles Plonka, John Ziemer, John Copioli, Paul Breslauer, Alan Frank, Jeremy Booker, Corey G. Ullman, Christopher |
| Copyright Year | 1994 |
| Description | The infrastructure for routine, reliable, and inexpensive access of space is a goal that has been actively pursued over the past 50 years, but has yet not been realized. Current launch systems utilize ground launching facilities which require the booster vehicle to plow up through the dense lower atmosphere before reaching space. An air launched system on the other hand has the advantage of being launched from a carrier aircraft above this dense portion of the atmosphere and hence can be smaller and lighter compared to its ground based counterpart. The goal of last year's Aerospace Engineering Course 483 (AE 483) was to design a 227,272 kg (500,000 lb.) air launched space booster which would beat the customer's launch cost on existing launch vehicles by at least 50 percent. While the cost analysis conducted by the class showed that this goal could be met, the cost and size of the carrier aircraft make it appear dubious that any private company would be willing to invest in such a project. To avoid this potential pitfall, this year's AE 483 class was to design as large an air launched space booster as possible which can be launched from an existing or modification to an existing aircraft. An initial estimate of the weight of the booster is 136,363 kg (300,000 lb.) to 159,091 kg (350,000 lb.). |
| File Size | 9691597 |
| Page Count | 291 |
| File Format | |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://archive.org/details/NASA_NTRS_Archive_19950006191 |
| Archival Resource Key | ark:/13960/t5q867m6k |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 1994-06-01 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Spacecraft Propulsion And Power Air Launching Launch Vehicles Low Cost Air Drop Operations Multistage Rocket Vehicles Cost Analysis Liquid Propellant Rocket Engines Spacecraft Launching C-5 Aircraft Ntrs Nasa Technical Reports Server (ntrs) Nasa Technical Reports Server Aerodynamics Aircraft Aerospace Engineering Aerospace Aeronautic Space Science |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
