Preliminary Design of a Sustained-Flight Vehicle in the Atmosphere of Mars

Abstract

This thesis presents the preliminary design of a long range, powered aerodynamic vehicle for subsonic flight in the Martian atmosphere. Froma surrey of literature concerning Mars, a logical atmospheric structure is defined. Performance calculations and specific weight estimates ofseveral powerplant types show an atmosphere-breathing turboprop engine is the most efficient. Calculations of range variation with wing loading and aspect ratio show that a vehicle with a Martian wing loading of 15 and aspect ratio of 16 has a range of 8100 miles with a 0.038 payload fraction. Structural weight, layout, performance, and static stability are discussed for a 26,300 Earth pound vehicle.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1961
Accession Number
AD0270273

Entities

People

  • John R. Stetson

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerodynamic Configurations
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Chemistry
  • Combustion
  • Engineers
  • Exhaust Gases
  • Fuel Systems
  • Gas Turbines
  • High Lift Devices
  • Otto Cycles
  • Rotor Blades (Turbomachinery)
  • Split Flaps
  • Thermal Propulsion Systems
  • Turbine Components
  • Turbines
  • Turbofan Engines
  • Turbojet Engines
  • Turboprop Engines
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Theoretical Analysis.