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NASA/TM-2001-209620 A Two-Stage-to-Orbit Spaceplane Concept with Growth Potential Unmeel B. Mehta and Jeffrey V. Bowles February2001 The NASA STI Program Office... in Profile Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. Collected advancement of aeronautics and space science. The papers from scientific and technical confer- NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) ences, symposia, seminars, or other meetings Program Office plays a key part in helping NASA sponsored or cosponsored by NASA. maintain this important role. • SPECIAL PUBLICATION. Scientific, technical, The NASA STI Program Office is operated by or historical information from NASA programs, Langley Research Center, the Lead Center for projects, and missions, often concerned with NASA's scientific and technical information. The subjects having substantial public interest. NASA STI Program Office provides access to the NASA STI Database, the largest collection of • TECHNICAL TRANSLATION. English- aeronautical and space science STI in the world. language translations of foreign scientific and The Program Office is also NASA's institutional technical material pertinent to NASA's mission. mechanism for disseminating the results of its research and development activities. These results Specialized services that complement the STI are published by NASA in the NASA STI Report Program Office's diverse offerings include creating Series, which includes the following report types: custom thesauri, building customized databases, organizing and publishing research results.., even TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of providing videos. completed research or a major significant phase of research that present the results of NASA For more information about the NASA STI programs and include extensive data or theoreti- Program Office, see the following: cal analysis. Includes compilations of significant scientific and technical data and information • Access the NASA STI Program Home Page at deemed to be of continuing reference value. http ://www.sti.nasa. gov NASA's counterpart of peer-reviewed formal professional papers but has less stringent • E-mail your question via the Internet to limitations on manuscript length and extent [email protected] of graphic presentations. • Fax your question to the NASA Access Help TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM. Scientific and Desk at (301) 621-0134 technical findings that are preliminary or of specialized interest, e.g., quick release reports, ° Telephone the NASA Access Help Desk at working papers, and bibliographies that contain (301) 621-0390 minimal annotation. Does not contain extensive analysis. Write to: NASA Access Help Desk CONTRACTOR REPORT. Scientific and NASA Center for AeroSpace Information technical findings by NASA-sponsored 7121 Standard Drive contractors and grantees. Hanover, MD 21076-1320 NASA/TM-2001-209620 A Two-Stage-to-Orbit Spaceplane Concept with Growth Potential Unmeel B. Mehta Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California Jeffrey V. Bowles Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center Moffett Field, California 94035-1000 I February2001 Acknowledgments While at the NASP National Program Office, Unmeel B. Mehta advocated that the NASP program should set aside the SSTO requirement and develop a TSTO spaceplane with air-breathing propulsion on the first stage. Subse- quently, Thomas J. Gregory directed at NASA Ames Research Center the development of the TSTO spaceplane concept for the NASA access to space study. The authors thank Thomas J. Gregory (retired), Howard E. Goldstein (retired), William D. Henline, and David J. Kinney of NASA Ames Research Center, William J. D. Escher of Scientific Applications International Corporation, and Henry G. Adelman of ELORET Corporation for their helpful comments and suggestions when they reviewed the Manuscript of this paper. This paper is presented as AIAA Paper 2001-1795 at the AIAA/NAL-NASDA-ISAS 10th International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies Conference, 24-27 April 2001, Kyoto, Japan. Available from: NASA Center for AeroSpace Information National Technical Information Service 7121 Standard Drive 5285 Port Royal Road Hanover, MD 21076-1320 Springfield, VA 22161 (301) 621-0390 (703) 487-4650 A TWO-STAGE-TO-ORBIT SPACEPLANE CONCEPT WITH GROWTH POTENTIAL Unmeel B. Mehta and Jeffrey V. Bowles NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, U.S.A. Abstract when the U.S. Space Shuttle Phase B award began, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration A two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) spaceplane concept (NASA) and contractors were generally unanimous in developed in 1993 is revisited, and new information is considering TSTO fully reusable vehicles as the vehicle provided to assist in the development of the next- of choice. 2 In 1993, RAND believed that the 1965 generation space transportation vehicles. The design choice by the U.S. Air Force was commendable and philosophy, TSTO spaceplane concept, and the design that it would be a strong contender for developing the method are briefly described. A trade study between X-30 spaceplane under the National Aero-Space Plane cold and hot structures leads to the choice of cold (NASP) program, t In 1993, after reviewing the status of structures with external thermal protection systems. The X-30, the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) optimal Mach number for staging the second stage of recommended a re-examination of the worth of pursing the TSTO spaceplane (with air-breathing propulsion on single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) on its own merit. _ In 1994, the first stage) is 10, based on life-cycle cost analysis. Ben Rich expressed that Orient Express (X-30) is The performance and specification of a prototype/ actually two separate concepts, one a rocketship and the experimental (P/X) TSTO spaceplane with a other an airplane. _ "Most likely, that particular twain turbo/ram/scramjet propulsion system and built-in shall never meet successfully. ''a Based on state-of-the- growth potential are presented and discussed. The art hypersonic technologies) '__ the SSTO concept is an internal rate of return on investment is the highest for extreme technical challenge, and its commercial the proposed TSTO spaceplane, vis-h-vis a single- viability is highly questionable in the near term. stage-to-orbit (SSTO) rocket vehicle and a TSTO Nevertheless, the SSTO concept is still advocated. 7 spaceplane without built-in growth. Additional growth potentials for the proposed spaceplane are suggested. Today, the choice of TSTO concept as the near-term This spaceplane can substantially decrease access-to- option, with initial operational capability (IOC) in circa space cost and risk, and increase safety and reliability in 2012, appears to be the correct one. In 1993, a the near term. It can be a serious candidate for the next- spaceplane based on the TSTO concept was generation space transportation system. conceptualized for the Access to Space--Advanced Technology Team. 8Reference 9 briefly describes this Introduction spaceplane. Reference 10 presents a strategy for developing air-breathing spaceplanes, using a TSTO In 1959, the request for recoverable booster system, spaceplane concept. Essential aspects of this concept with a goal of routine access to space, led to the and of this strategy are revisited, and additional Recoverable Orbital Launch System (Aerospace Plane) information, some based on subsequent work, is program in the United States (U.S.). _The U.S. Air provided herein for consideration to assist in the Force emphasized two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) concepts development of next-generation spaceplanes. as first-generation options, based on guidance from the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and other The lessons drawn from past programs suggest the ad hoc committees. In November 1965, after intensive following design philosophy for the development of the study, review, and evaluation, the TSTO approach (air- next generation space transportation system: 1_(I) breathing first stage with a conventional rocket second technology-driven development, (2) short-term stage) was selected as the preferred approach. In 1970, economical benefits, (3) growth potential, (4) achievable,and(5)safeandreliable,evenatthe TSTO Spaceplane Concept expenseofgreaterup-frontcostandlowerpertormance. Theeconomicalbenefitsarejudgedfor Figure I shows an artist's rendition of the TSTO commercializationofspacetransportation.By spaceplane considered for the mission of achieving 220 definition,acommercialventureisalow-risk nautical miles circular orbit at a 51.6 ° inclination, with investmentandgeneratesa20-plus-percentreturnper 25,000-1b payload [International Space Station Alpha annumoninvestmentwiththeinvestmentpayback (ISSA) resupply mission]. The genesis of this (preferably)within5years.Thedesignphilosophyand spaceplane is the Study of Advanced Air-breathing economicsrcquirementleadtoaspaceplaneconcept Launch Vehicles with Cruise Capability by Lockheed basedontwostages,toaspaceplanethatoperateslike Company in 1967 for NASA Ames Research Center) _ anaircraft,andtoaspaceplancdesignwithbuilt-in growthpotential. Stagingcanincreaseperformanceofagiven technology,rcduccthevehiclesensitivityto performanceparametervariations,ordeliverequal pertbrmanceandlowerriskwithlessadvanced technology.TSTOvehiclesoffergreatermarginand havehigherpayloadpotentialthanSSTOvehicles. TSTOvehiclesrequiresmallerpropellantmass fractions,resultinginlowertake-offgrossweight (TOGW)thanSSTOvehicles.If
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