Growth versions of the Bell Agena storable pump-fed rocket engine have the performance, reliability and cost effectiveness to make these engines leading candidates for application to storable upper stages for expendable launch vehicles and the Space Shuttle. The 17000 pound thrust Agena engine is the most reliable engine in the U.S. Air Force inventory. It is the only operational pump-fed storable space engine and has performed 362 mission flights for the Air Force and NASA. Design studies show that only minimum modifications are needed to uprate the engine to the highest storable propellant performance. The main feature of the growth engines is the use of the production Agena engine turbopump with only minimum changes. Because turbopumps are traditionally the most critical and long lead part of an engine development program, the Agena growth approach stresses minimum turbopump changes. A growth baseline thrust of 12000 pounds has been selected for the drilled aluminum thrust chamber with a 250/1 nozzle expansion ratio to yield a specific impulse of 336 lb sec/lb of N2O4/MMH propellants. The baseline design includes optional gas deployed extendable nozzles to minimize the stored length of the engine. This paper reports the approach to the current Bell Aerospace Textron sponsored design-development effort on the growth Agena engines, including the results of turbopump suction pressure start tests.
Growth Agena rocket engines for upper stage launch vehicles
Verstaerkte Agena-Raketentriebwerke fuer die obere Stufe von Startraketen
AIAA-Papers ; Jul ; 1-6
1987
6 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 2 Tabellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
AIAA | 1989
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