National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
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REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE

Technology Development and Test Program

Committee on Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology and Test Program

Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1995

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the panel responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Harold Liebowitz is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Harold Liebowitz are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 95-73106

International Standard Book Number 0-309-05437-0

Available in limited supply from:

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Copyright 1995 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

COMMITTEE ON REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY AND TEST PROGRAM

RICHARD A. HARTUNIAN, Chair,

Aerospace Corporation

(Ret.),

San Pedro, California

RICHARD ARSENAULT,

University of Maryland at College Park, College Park, Maryland

YVONNE C. BRILL,

Skillman, New Jersey

PAUL CASTENHOLZ,

Colorado Springs, Colorado

JAMES R. FRENCH,

JRF Engineering Services, Los Angeles, California

CLARK W. JOHNSON,

Hughes Space and Communications Company, Los Angeles, California

MARSHALL H. KAPLAN,

Launchspace, Inc., Falls Church, Virginia

HUGH McMANUS,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

EDGAR A. STARKE, Jr.,

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

RICHARD R. WEISS,

Richard R. Weiss Consultant Services, Palmdale, California

PETER G. WILHELM,

Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.

Advisor

ERIC STRAUSS,

Englewood, Colorado

ASEB Liaison

JOHN K. BUCKNER,

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, Fort Worth, Texas

Staff

JOANN C. CLAYTON, Director

ALI ESKANDARIAN, Study Director

WILLIAM E. CAMPBELL, Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD

JACK L. KERREBROCK, Chair,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

STEVEN AFTERGOOD,

Federation of American Scientists, Washington, D.C.

JOSEPH P. ALLEN,

Space Industries International, Inc., Washington, D.C.

GUION S. BLUFORD, Jr.,

NYMA, Inc., Brook Park, Ohio

JOHN K. BUCKNER,

Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, Fort Worth, Texas

RAYMOND S. COLLADAY,

Martin Marietta Astronautics, Denver, Colorado

RUTH M. DAVIS,

Pymatuning Group, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia

STEVEN M. DORFMAN,

Hughes Telecommunications and Space Company, General Motors Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles, California

DONALD C. FRASER,

Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

JOHN M. HEDGEPETH,

Digisim Corporation, Santa Barbara, California

TAKEO KANADE,

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

BERNARD L. KOFF,

Pratt & Whitney, West Palm Beach, Florida

DONALD J. KUTYNA,

Loral Corporation, Colorado Springs, Colorado

JOHN M. LOGSDON,

George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

ROBERT R. LYNN,

Bell Helicopter Textron, Euless, Texas

FRANK E. MARBLE,

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

C. JULIAN MAY,

Tech/Ops International, Inc., Kennesaw, Georgia

BRADFORD W. PARKINSON,

Stanford University, Stanford, California

ALFRED SCHOCK,

Orbital Sciences Corporation, Germantown, Maryland

JOHN D. WARNER,

The Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington

Staff Director: JOANN C. CLAYTON

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

Preface

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requested that the National Research Council (NRC) assess the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology development and test programs in the most critical component technologies. At a time when discretionary government spending is under close scrutiny, the RLV program is designed to reduce the cost of access to space through a combination of robust vehicles and a streamlined infrastructure. Routine access to space has obvious benefits for space science, national security, commercial technologies, and the further exploration of space.

Because of technological challenges, knowledgeable people disagree about the feasibility of a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle. The purpose of the RLV program proposed by NASA and industry contractors is to investigate the status of existing technology and to identify and advance key technology areas required for development and validation of an SSTO vehicle. This report does not address the feasibility of an SSTO vehicle, nor does it revisit the roles and responsibilities assigned to NASA by the National Transportation Policy. Instead, the report sets forth the NRC committee's findings and recommendations regarding the RLV technology development and test program in the critical areas of propulsion, a reusable cryogenic tank system (RCTS), primary vehicle structure, and a thermal protection system (TPS).

Because of the divergent approaches to and unique requirements for each of the key technology areas, the committee quickly discovered the equivalent of four reports would be needed to do justice to the program. Therefore, this report emphasizes each of the four key component areas and addresses issues pertaining to the performance, producibility, and reusability of each. Advances in all of these areas are critical to reducing the cost of access to space.

The committee would like to express its appreciation to the many NASA and industry teams that invested long days describing their programs and answering questions. The committee also appreciates their willingness to provide additional clarification. A list of the participants in meetings with the committee appears as Appendix A.

In addition, the chairman would like to express his appreciation to the committee members for their extensive contributions to this study with extra thanks to the leaders of the technical areas for taking on that additional responsibility. Finally, the invaluable contributions of the NRC staff are gratefully acknowledged: JoAnn Clayton for her

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

advice to the chairman and assistance in preparing background material and editing sections of the report; Dr. Ali Eskandarian for his tireless efforts in arranging all the briefings, for collating, editing, and commenting on the committee's additions to the final report, and for providing counsel to the chairman; and Bill Campbell for his many contributions throughout the study, including preparation of numerous drafts of the report.

Richard A. Hartunian, Chairman

Committee on Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Development and Test Program

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×
Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
×

List of Tables and Figures

TABLES

4-1

 

Space Shuttle TPS Damage

 

44

4-2

 

100 Mission Maximum Operating Temperature for Space Shuttle Orbiter

 

44

4-3

 

TPS Concepts for Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)

 

50-52

5-1

 

NASA/Industry Cooperative Propulsion Technology Programs

 

58-60

5-2

 

Characteristics of Flight-Proven 400,00 lb Thrust LOX/LH2 Engines

 

62

FIGURES

1-1

 

RLV Technology Demonstration Program

 

12

1-2

 

RLV Program Phase Descriptions

 

12

2-1

 

What Does It Take to Achieve SSTO?

 

21

4-1

 

Examples of Cryogenic Tank Configurations

 

45

Suggested Citation:"FRONT MATTER." National Research Council. 1995. Reusable Launch Vehicle: Technology Development and Test Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5115.
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The key to opening the use of space to private enterprise and to broader public uses lies in reducing the cost of the transportation to space. More routine, affordable access to space will entail aircraft-like quick turnaround and reliable operations. Currently, the space Shuttle is the only reusable launch vehicle, and even parts of it are expendable while other parts require frequent and extensive refurbishment. NASA's highest priority new activity, the Reusable Launch Vehicle program, is directed toward developing technologies to enable a new generation of space launchers, perhaps but not necessarily with single stage to orbit capability. This book assesses whether the technology development, test and analysis programs in propulsion and materials-related technologies are properly constituted to provide the information required to support a December 1996 decision to build the X-33, a technology demonstrator vehicle; and suggest, as appropriate, necessary changes in these programs to ensure that they will support vehicle feasibility goals.

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