This article is devoted to an important problem of calculation of deflected mode of the combustion chamber and the nozzle end of a new liquid-propellant rocket cruise engine. A special attention is given to the methodology of calculation. Three operating modes are considered. The analysis has been conducted in ANSYS software. The methods of conducted research are mathematical modeling, substruc...

* Technical Program Manager † Research Programmer ‡ Visiting Scholar § Research Scientist ¶ Associate Professor of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign # Postdoctoral Research Associate ** Senior Research Scientist Copyright  2002 by Center for Simulation of Advanced Rockets. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, ...

Minimum-mass tether designs are developed for a spinning human transport that not only provides artificial gravity, but also the potential for free-return aborts. The investigation reveals that severing the tether can provide a propellant-free boost to return astronauts to Earth in the event of an aborted landing on Mars. Earth–Mars–Earth, Earth–Mars–Venus–Earth, and Earth–Venus–Mars–Earth traj...

Anovelmission concept based on ahybrid low-thrust propulsion system is proposed anddiscussed.A solar electric propulsion thruster is coupled with an auxiliary system providing an inverse square radial thrust. In this way the spacecraft is virtually subjected to a reduced gravitational solar force. The primary purpose of this paper is to quantify the impact of the reduced solar force on the prop...

A phenomenological approach is used to represent the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of solid propellants. A three dimensional nite strain viscoelastic model, modi ed by a strain softening function that accounts for damage e ects, is considered in the research. Some of the signi cant aspects of high-elongation propellants are incorporated into the constitutive model. The resulting stress-strain...

We are developing a micro solid propellant rocket array thruster for simple attitude control of a 10 kg class micro spacecraft. To improve the contact between the ignition heater and the ignition charge of lead thiocyanate / potassium chlorate (RK), the loading method of RK was improved. Ignition probability increased to 100 % in air and 83 % in vacuum. When the pellet diameter of boron / potas...

Analytical and experimental studies conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center for investigating integrated cryogenic propellant tank systems for a Reusable Launch Vehicle are described. The cryogenic tanks are investigated as an integrated tank system. An integrated tank system includes the tank wall, cryogenic insulation, Thermal Protection System (TPS) attachment sub-structure, and TPS. A...

An atmospheric differential drag based adaptive Lyapunov controller, originally proposed by the authors in previous work for spacecraft rendezvous, is here generalized allowing for the tracking of reference trajectories or dynamics. Differential drag is based on the ability to vary a satellite’s cross wind surface area, and it represents a propellant-free alternative to thrusters to control rel...