This report describes the results of a study conducted to develop crew escape system concepts for hypervelocity vehicles capable of transatmospheric missions. These escape system concepts were required to provide survivable escape and recovery throughout all phases of flight, including launch, upper atmospheric hypervelocity flight, orbit, reentry and terminal approach. The effort was divided into three tasks. In task I, 16 different concepts were studied to evaluate the feasibility of their meeting all the crew escape and protection requirements. The study vehicles included a horizontally launched vehicle with dual place cockpit and a vertically-launched vehicle with a single place cockpit. Only 3 of 16 concepts were determined to be viable options. A preliminary evaluation reduced the possible escape system candidates to two; an encapsulated seat with thermal protection and an escape capsule with thermal protection. In task II, various advanced technologies were investigated for possible application to the HVT crew escape concepts design development. These technologies included aerodynamics, thermal protection, propulsion, structures, materials, flight controls, sensors, crew station design, and life support. The results from this technology evaluation were used to refine the subsystem designs during task III, so that the design requirements were satisfied with minimum penalties to the vehicles. Trade studies were then conducted to select the best escape system concepts. These showed that the encapsulated seats were overall superior to the pod capsules for both study vehicles. (sdw)


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Hypervelocity Technology Escape System Concepts. Volume 1. Development and Evaluation


    Contributors:
    A. K. Trikha (author) / P. C. Chen (author) / S. F. Sielaff (author)

    Publication date :

    1988


    Size :

    283 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English




    Hypervelocity Technology (HVT) crew escape

    Jines, Lanny A. | NTRS | 1987



    Thermostructural concepts for hypervelocity vehicles

    SHIH, PETER / PRUNTY, JACK / MUELLER, RICHARD | AIAA | 1988


    Thermostructural concepts for hypervelocity vehicles

    SHIH, PETER K. / PRUNTY, JACK / MUELLER, RICHARD N. | AIAA | 1991


    Hypervelocity Projectile Technology (D2)

    BISCHER, GREG / CASTLE, MARK | AIAA | 1992