Documents / Report
This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency and dated 8 March 2010, was produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It gives a historical and technical review of how to reach space and return. It covers hypersonic gliders, air-breathing and rocket propulsion, thermodynamics and materials, and launch options. It argues that reliable, schedulable access to low Earth orbit is mainly a hardware and propulsion problem rather than a technology one.
UNCLASSIFIED/;SFIHI: 8FFHil.l1k WE'lii Si'llk>C 300 Propellant Weight 250 ---6-- LACE Constant OWE ------fr-- LACE Actual OWE ---o-- Rocket Constant OWE 50 0 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 Flight Speed Along Trajectory (ft/sec) Figure 31. LACE Air-Breathing Rocket Reduces Gross Liftoff Weight by 150 Metric Tons and Uses Existing Rocket Engines The LACE or deeply cooled cycle could also be adapted to operate in the FDL- 7/Model 176 if it were a first stage to a two-stage-to-orbit system, 25 as shown in Figure 32 with a retractable, inward- turning inlet. 26 In this case, there is another version of the precooled air- breathing engine concept, called the KUN cycle, that was invented by V. V. Balapin. 27 Like the LACE and deeply cooled systems, the KUN cycle can significantly reduce the size and weight of a launcher. The KUN™ Deeply Cooled Turbojet/Rocket Cycle incorporates a heat exchanger upstream of the compressor to thermally control the air to the compressor so a lower corrected speed of the compressor can be lurlh>IL'l lnJ,,,11,w Figure 32. The FDL-7 Class of Vehicles With An Anthony DuPont Variable Capture and a Retractable Inlet Tested to Mach 5 Employing an Air-Breathing KUN Cycle Rocket maintained with the increasing mach number. The cycle also thermally integrates an expander cycle rocket engine, one in which rejected thermal energy is used to drive the turbopumps and accessories. The initial cycle calculations have shown good results for hypersonic vehicle space launcher applications. For mach numbers less than mach 5.5, the turbojet and rocket operate as a single system providing the required total thrust for acceleration. 29 UNCLASSIFIED/ ;CFSi'A: QFFI&lal k I IE'lii Qllk¥
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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 56 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.