Earth-to-orbit vehicle studies of future replacements for the Space Shuttle are needed to guide technology development. Previous studies that have examined single-stage vehicles have shown advantages for dual-fuel propulsion. Previous two-stage system studies have assumed all-hydrogen fuel for the Orbiters. The present study examined dual-fuel Orbiters and found that the system dry mass could be reduced with this concept. The possibility of staging the booster at a staging velocity low enough to allow coast-back to the launch site is shown to be beneficial, particularly in combination with a dual-fuel Orbiter. An engine evaluation indicated the same ranking of engines as did a previous single-stage study. Propane and RP-1 fuels result in lower vehicle dry mass than methane, and staged-combustion engines are preferred over gas-generator engines. The sensitivity to the engine selection is less for two-stage systems than for single-stage systems.


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    Title :

    Two-stage earth-to-orbit vehicles with dual-fuel propulsion in the Orbiter


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    Joint Propulsion Conference ; 1982 ; Cleveland, OH


    Publication date :

    1982-06-01


    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English