National Academy of Sciences. Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment

115 Pages·2016·5.51 MB·English

REUSABLE BOOSTER SYSTEM
REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
REUSABLE BOOSTER SYSTEM
REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT
Committee for the Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council,
whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and
the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences
and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study is based on work supported by Contract FA2517-11-C-7001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S.
Air Force. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s)
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-26656-7
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-26656-4
Cover: Design by Tim Warchocki.
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Washington, DC 20001
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Copyright 2012 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in
scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general
welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires
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Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sci-
ences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of
its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The
National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages
education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the
National Academy of Engineering.
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adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education.
Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad
community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal
government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the
principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in
providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is admin-
istered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair
and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
COMMITTEE FOR THE REUSABLE BOOSTER SYSTEM: REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT
DAVID M. VAN WIE, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Chair
EDWARD H. BOCK, Lockheed Martin Space Systems (retired)
YVONNE C. BRILL, INMARSAT (emerita)
ALLAN V. BURMAN, Jefferson Solutions
DAVID C. BYERS, Consultant
LEONARD H. CAVENY, Caveny Tech, LLC
ROBERT S. DICKMAN, AIAA
MARK K. JACOBS, Consultant
THOMAS J. LEE, Lee & Associates, LLC
C. KUMAR N. PATEL, Pranalytica, Inc.
DIANE ROUSSEL-DUPRE, Los Alamos National Laboratory
ROBERT L. SACKHEIM, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (retired)
POL D. SPANOS, Rice University
MITCHELL L.R. WALKER, Georgia Institute of Technology
BEN T. ZINN, Georgia Institute of Technology
Staff
JOHN WENDT, Senior Program Officer, Study Director
AMANDA THIBAULT, Research Associate
CATHERINE A. GRUBER, Editor
TERRI BAKER, Senior Program Assistant (until March 30, 2012)
RODNEY HOWARD, Senior Program Assistant (from April 1, 2012)
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director, Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ENGINEERING BOARD
LESTER L. LYLES, The Lyles Group, Chair
AMY L. BUHRIG, The Boeing Company, Vice Chair
ELLA M. ATKINS, University of Michigan
INDERJIT CHOPRA, University of Maryland, College Park
JOHN-PAUL B. CLARKE, Georgia Institute of Technology
RAVI B. DEO, EMBR
VIJAY K. DHIR, University of California, Los Angeles
EARL H. DOWELL, Duke University
MICA R. ENDSLEY, SA Technologies
DAVID GOLDSTON, Natural Resources Defense Council
R. JOHN HANSMAN, JR., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOHN B. HAYHURST, The Boeing Company (retired)
WILLIAM L. JOHNSON, California Institute of Technology
RICHARD KOHRS, Independent Consultant, Dickinson, Texas
IVETT LEYVA, Air Force Research Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base
ELAINE S. ORAN, Naval Research Laboratory
HELEN L. REED, Texas A&M University
ELI RESHOTKO, Case Western Reserve University
EDMOND SOLIDAY, United Airlines (retired)
Staff
MICHAEL H. MOLONEY, Director
CARMELA J. CHAMBERLAIN, Administrative Coordinator
TANJA PILZAK, Manager, Program Operations
CELESTE A. NAYLOR, Information Management Associate
CHRISTINA O. SHIPMAN, Financial Officer
SANDRA WILSON, Financial Assistant
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical
expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the National Research
Council (NRC). The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist
the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional
standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft
manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following
individuals for their review of this report:
Brian Cantwell, Stanford University,
John Casani, Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Natalie W. Crawford, The RAND Corporation,
Robert L. Crippen, U.S. Navy (retired) and Thiokol Propulsion (retired),
David E. Crow, University of Connecticut and Pratt and Whitney (retired),
Joseph Hamaker, The Millennium Group International, LLC,
Debra Facktor Lepore, Stevens Institute of Technology,
Lester L. Lyles, U.S. Air Force (retired) and The Lyles Group, and
Alan Wilhite, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were
not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before
its release. The review of this report was overseen by John D. Anderson, National Air and Space Museum of
the Smithsonian Institution. Appointed by the NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an independent
examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review com-
ments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring
committee and the institution.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Reusable Booster System: Review and Assessment
Contents
SUMMARY 1
1 BACKGROUND 6
1.1 Spacelift Requirements and Objectives for National Security Payloads, 6
1.2 Reusable Booster System Approach and Potential Benefits, 7
1.3 Potential Expendable New Entrants, 7
1.4 NRC Evaluation of the Reusable Booster System, 9
1.5 Report Organization, 9
2 AIR FORCE EELV-CLASS LAUNCH REQUIREMENTS AND APPROACHES 10
2.1 Summary, 10
2.2 RBS Schedule and Projected Costs Summaries, 12
2.3 RBS Technical Program Summaries, 14
2.3.1 RBS Flight Vehicles, Operations, and Infrastructure, 14
2.3.2 Development Flight Vehicles, 19
2.3.3 RBS Ground-based R&D, 20
2.4 Additional Programmatic Considerations, 20
2.4.1 External Program Considerations, 20
2.4.2 Industrial Base, 20
2.5 RBS and Recent Reusable Vehicles, 21
3 REUSABLE BOOSTER SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT 23
3.1 Assessment of Technology Maturity of Key Elements, 23
3.2 Main Propulsion System, 24
3.2.1 Hydrocarbon-Fueled Booster Engine Risk Assessment, 27
3.2.2 Hydrocarbon-Fueled Booster Engine Risk Mitigation, 30
3.3 Rocketback RTLS Maneuver, 34
3.3.1 Aerodynamics Risk Assessment, 35
3.3.2 Thermal Protection/Thermal Control Risk Assessment, 35
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.