OPTIMIZATION OF RECOVERY TRAJECTORIES FOR SPACE VEHICLES.

Abstract

It is shown that optimum recovery conditions must be defined as the ones which minimize an overall dead-weight which must include the fuel for eventual rocket braking outside the atmosphere, and the mass which is ablated for heat protection into the atmosphere. The results indicate that when chemical or nuclear propulsion is considered, pure atmospheric braking will always be the best solution, but when electrical propulsion is used, an optimum compromise between partial rocket and atmospheric braking may exist, depending upon the respective properties of propulsion system and ablating material. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 1964
Accession Number
AD0609573

Entities

People

  • L. Moulin

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Materials
  • Nuclear Propulsion
  • Optimization
  • Orbits
  • Propulsion Systems
  • Recovery
  • Spacecraft
  • Trajectories
  • Vehicles

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster
  • Space - Orbital Debris