The paper addresses the problem of determining the appropriate history of the thrust of a rocket engine that produces maximum altitudes for a two-stage-rocket launch vehicle. Simplifying assumptions, for example, that the earth is flat, have been made and rules for optimal thrust arcs have been derived. Effects of changes in vehicle characteristics at staging, including the vehicle drag coefficient and the rocket engine characteristics, are investigated. Significant alterations from previously analyzed single-stage sounding-rocket trajectories are possible. The occurrences of intermediate coasting arcs, intermediate variable-thrust arcs, and up to five control switches are all characteristics unique to the two-stage problem. Although these differences will be minimized by the inclusion of realistic atmospheric drag profiles, they will probably exist if the lift-off acceleration of the sounding rocket is high. (Author)
The Two-Stage Sounding-Rocket Problem
1967
36 pages
Report
No indication
English
Two-stage sounding rocket problem
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