A tradeoff study for a single-stage, earth-to-orbit transport spacecraft configured with low structural mass as the prime objective is presented. Among the major design elements affecting vehicle mass are: maneuverability and re-entry heating, the compatibility of an irregular cargo bay geometry to future mission requirements, the fabrication and assembly of large honeycomb structure fuselage sections, and the development of LOX/LH2 engine extendable nozzles and dual-propulsion schemes. It is shown that vehicle geometry and materials and structural technologies will be the critical areas in the development of such a system.


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    Title :

    Technologies involved in configuring an advanced earth-to-orbit transport for low structural mass


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Annual Conference of the Society of Allied Weight Engineers ; 1980 ; St. Louis, MO


    Publication date :

    1980-05-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English