One of NASA’s goals is to enable commercial access to space at a cost of $1000/lb (an order of magnitude less than today’s cost) by approximately 2010. Based on results from the 1994 Congressionally mandated, NASA led, Access-to-Space Study, an all rocket-powered single-stage-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle was selected as the best option for meeting the goal. To address the technology develop...

Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC) hydrogen tanks have been proposed as an enabling technology for reducing the weight of Single-Stage-to-Orbit reusable launch vehicles where structural mass has a large impact on vehicle performance. A key development issue of these lightweight structures is the leakage of hydrogen through the composite material. The rate of hydrogen leakage can be a function of th...

SpaceX's successful development of reusable rockets and the realization low-cost operations have significantly impacted space industry, institutions, companies. Price competitiveness has become a hot topic for launch vehicle development. A hydrogen-fueled rocket engine can be its solution. The developed countries are attempting to improve performance reliability engines using hydrogen-fuel. Thi...

JAXA, CNES and DLR have decided to join their force develop fly a scaled reusable VTVL rocket stage called CALLISTO (Cooperative Action Leading Launcher Innovation in Stage Toss - back Operations). This vehicle will pave the way for future launch vehicles. One of its main goals is demonstrate mastering key techniques technologies that be needed later by operational Indeed frame numerous challen...

Opportunities for breakthroughs in the large-scale computational simulation and design of aerospace vehicles are presented. Computational fluid dynamics tools to be used within multidisciplinary analysis and design methods are emphasized. The opportunities stem from speedups and robustness improvements in the underlying unit operations associated with simulation (geometry modeling, grid generat...

An analysis of on-line autonomous robust tracking controller based on variable structure control is presented for an aerospace launch vehicle. Decentralized sliding-mode controller is designed to achieve the decoupled asymptotic tracking of guidance commands upon plant uncertainties and external disturbances. Development and application of the controller for an aerospace launch vehicle during a...

This paper deals with the problem of angle-of-attack modulation with the aim of enhancing transient performance of entry guidance during bank reversals, while compensating adverse effects of fast time-varying transient disturbances. An extended single-input/single-output system is developed in the velocity domain by means of a dynamic extension technique, and explicitly captures the trajectory ...