Noncoplanar orbital plane change trajectories for an aeroassisted sortie vehicle (ASV) from a 220 nautical mile circular orbit at 28.5 degrees inclination to a 150 nautical mile circular polar orbit were optimized, subject to nose stagnation temperature constraints. Both synergetic and two-impulse-deorbit aeroassist trajectories were successfully optimized. The baseline aeroassisted sortie vehicle, a double-delta lifting body, had a maximum hypersonic L/D of 3.4. The ASV was powered by a liquid hydrogen/oxygen rocket engine. The optimized synergetic plane change trajectory resulted in the delivery of more pounds of payload to polar orbit than the two-impulse-deorbit aeroassist trajectory. The propulsive delta V expended by the ASV during the baseline trajectory was less than half the propulsive delta V required by a two-impulse, all-propulsive orbital transfer maneuver. By adding propellant drop tanks of approximately half of the gross weight of the ASV, the payload weight to polar orbit was almost tripled with an optimal two-impulse-deorbit aeroassist trajectory. This trajectory provided more payload to the final orbit for this ASV configuration than a synergetic maneuver preceded by an exoatmospheric propulsive plane change. To fully utilize an L/D capability greater than 3, the ASV must be able to sustain maximum nose stagnation temperatures up to 4500 F.


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    Title :

    Noncoplanar Orbit Transfer Optimization for an Aeroassisted Sortie Vehicle


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    1990


    Size :

    17 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English