Hypersonic Airplane Space Tether Orbital Launch -- HASTOL

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Hypersonic Airplane Space Tether Orbital Launch -- HASTOL NIAC Subcontract No. 07600-040 NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts 3 rd Annual Meeting NASA Ames Research Center, San Jose, CA June 6, 2001 John E. Grant The Boeing Company, 5301 Bolsa Ave., Huntington Beach, CA92647-2099 Phone 714-372-5391 john.e.grant@boeing.com www.boeing.com

HASTOL Phase II Study Team The Boeing Company John Grant, Phantom Works, Huntington Beach, CA Kimberly Harris, Phantom Works, Huntington Beach, CA Jim Martin, Phantom Works, Huntington Beach, CA Dan Nowlan, Phantom Works, Huntington Beach, CA Karl Oittinen, Expendable Launch Systems, Huntington Beach, CA Don Johnson, Phantom Works, St. Louis, MO Steve Hollowell, Phantom Works, Long Beach, CA Mike Bangham, Space and Communications, Huntsville, AL Beth Fleming, Space and Communications, Huntsville, AL John Blumer, Space and Communications, Huntsville, AL Ben Donahue, Space and Communications, Huntsville, AL Brian Tillotson, Space and Communications, Seattle, WA Tethers Unlimited, Inc. Rob Hoyt, Seattle, WA Bob Forward, Seattle, WA HASTOL Contract funded by NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts Dr. Robert Cassanova, Atlanta, Georgia

HASTOL Concept of Operation

HASTOL Phase I Results Showed Concept Feasibility Top -Level Requirements Developed; Top-Level Trades Conducted to Define Basic Design Approaches Selected Hypersonic Aircraft Concept (DF-9) Validated Overlap of Tether Tip and Hypersonic Aircraft Velocity and Geometry Envelopes for Capture Defined Aircraft Apogee Altitude/Velocity Envelope Tether Tip Can Withstand Thermal Loads as it Dips into the Atmosphere Tether Boost Facility Concept Defined Rotovator Tether Concept Selected Simplified Grapple Concept Identified

HASTOL Phase II Study Approach Phase I Results Rotovator concept Technology Readiness Level 2 systems (hypersonic airplane, tether control station, tether, grapple assembly, payload accommodation assembly) Trade study results: discovery that rendezvous point can be achieved by existing airplane (X-43) without overheating tether tip Selected concepts - DF-9 hypersonic vehicle - Rendezvous point at Mach 10, 100-km altitude - Hoytether TM with Spectra2000 TM material and PBO tip material Hypersonic Airplane Space Tether Orbital Launch (HASTOL) Study Program, Phase II Task 1 Mission Opportunities Definition Develop contact plan Conduct kick-off with potential customers and NIAC Meet with customers to assess potential missions and near-term applications Identify opportunities to integrate into NASA programs Task 5 Technology Development Planning Identify technology needs Develop technology development roadmap - Flight test plan - Laboratory tests Candidate list of mission needs Task 2 System Requirements Definition Derive preliminary system requirements for each of the HASTOL systems Determine payload characteristics, traffic rate, guidance and control, g-force limitations, initial and life cycle costs, and system interface requirements Identify, define, allocate, and trade major system requirements Task 3 Conceptual Design Integrate into system architecture Conduct trade studies Develop ROM cost estimate Task 4 System Analysis Conduct modeling and simulations Conduct preliminary technical assessment - Identify high-risk areas - Develop mitigation plans Phase II Deliverables Final Phase II program review Phase II final report System requirements Complete system design concept to TRL 3 Areas of development work needed Technology roadmap Cost models Phase III customer funding commitment Analyze key technical issues GN&C Payload transfer operations Tether design and dynamics Material selection Simulation results

Markets Drive Requirements Current & Emerging Markets GEO Comsats US Civil Satellites US Military Satellites Small-Vehicle Tourism Mission Requirements at IOC Future Markets Human Exploration & Development of Space Solar Power Satellites Large-Vehicle Tourism Mission Requirements for Extended Operation Capability

Total Existing Markets Dominated by GEO Comsats => size HASTOL for that market GEO destination matches HASTOL well Aggressive pricing required Other markets offer targets of opportunity, not core business Extra revenue Protection from non-us competition allows higher prices GEO Comsats number 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 100 300 500 700 mass (lb) 900 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 14000 2010 year 2015 2020 Total 2010 Market ~33 Launches / yr $1.5 B / yr revenue 50% revenue capture?

Surveys Show Space Adventure Travel Is Large And Elastic Market Seat Price 1K 10K 100K 1M Annual Passengers Market likely stronger than data suggest Survey data several years old Economy has grown since then Wealth more concentrated in top strata Upper strata include more young & adventurous people than in the past 100 1K 10K 100K 1M 10M Annual Passengers Ivan Bekey, Economically Viable Public Space Travel, Space Energy and Transportation, vol 4, No 1,2, 1999.

Tourism Market Projection

Comsat and Passenger Flights Drive IOC Mission Requirements Payload mass: 5500 kg Release orbits: GTO + assured safe re-entry orbit Release orbit insertion error to GTO: < Ariane 5 and Delta 4 error Passenger orbit insertion error: not to exceed safe entry limits Epoch: 2015 to 2025 Mission reliability: 98% for comsats, 99% for passengers Mission safety: 99% chance that comsat payloads will be undamaged 99.99% chance that passengers will survive Orbital debris produced: zero Collision avoidance: shall not endanger any tracked operational spacecraft

Extended Operational Capability Mission Requirements HEDS and SPS Drive Requirements Payload mass: 36,000 kg Release orbits: GTO + transfer orbit to Earth-Moon L1 Release orbit insertion error: < Saturn V error Rate: 1000 SPS flights / yr, 15 HEDS flights / yr Epoch: 2020 to 2030 Mission reliability: 98% for HEDS & SPS Mission safety: 99% chance that HEDS & SPS payloads will be undamaged Orbital debris produced: zero (incl. lunar downmass)

HASTOL Phase I Hypersonic Aircraft Concept: Boeing-NASA/LaRC DF-9 Dual-Fuel Aerospaceplane Takeoff Wt: Payload: Length: Apogee: 270 MT (590,000 lb) 14 MT (30,000 lb) 64 m (209 ft) 100 km Speed at Apogee: 3.6 km/sec (approx. Mach 12) 4.1 km/sec (inertial) Turboramjets up to Mach 4.5 Ram-, Scramjets above Mach 4.5 Linear Rocket for Pop-Up Maneuver

Variation with Rendezvous Velocity Determined System Design for Hypersonic Airplane Apogee Velocities of Mach 10-19 HASTOL Tether Facility Parameter Variations with Initial Payload Parameter Variations - 600 km - TCS 10X Fixed Parameters Tether length TCS Mass Payload Mass Tether Safety Factor 600km 150 Mg (10X payload mass) 15 Mg 3.0 along entire length Rendezvous Facility Mass Ratio Tip Altitude GTO Run Velocity Altitude Accel CM Peri CM Apo Tip Vel TCS Tether Total Perigee Apogee Apogee (Mach) (m/s) (km) (n.mi.) (gees) (km) (km) (m/s) (ratio) (ratio) (ratio) (km) (km) (X Geo) 3111 19.0 5791 113 61 0.88 549 1314 1977 10 16 26 80 186 1.00 3007 18.0 5486 110 60 1.18 540 1012 2229 10 28 38 88 80 1.44 3010 17.0 5182 110 60 1.55 522 835 2502 10 51 61 97 80 2.76 3015 16.0 4877 110 60 1.96 512 701 2780 10 94 104 102 80 13.51 3032 15.0 4572 110 80 2.40 509 612 3064 10 175 185 106 80-8.66 3031 14.0 4267 110 60 2.86 511 559 3353 10 331 341 108 80-2.49 3030 13.0 3962 110 60 3.33 517 531 3645 10 638 648 109 80-1.68 3027 12.0 3658 110 60 3.82 524 524 3941 10 1253 1263 109 85-1.31 3029 11.0 3353 110 60 4.33 533 533 4241 10 2515 2525 110 97-1.09 3028 10.0 3048 110 60 4.87 542 542 4541 10 5108 5118 110 103-0.95

Broad Range of Mission Profiles and Propulsion Systems Considered Vertical Launch, Downrange Land Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Vertical Launch, Flyback Rocket Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Rocket Gliding Entry G liding Entry with Turn Vertical Takeoff Horizontal Landing Vertical Takeoff Flyback Horizontal Landing Air Launched Rocket Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Air-Turborocket Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Turboramjet Booster and Rocket Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Launch Turn Rocket Uprange Cruise Airplane Cruiseback Horizontal Takeoff Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn Airturborocket Mach 6 Rocket Switch at Airplane Launch Cruiseback Turn Uprange Cruise Horizontal Takeoff Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn Launch at Mach 4 Turn Turboramjet Uprange Cruise Rocket Turboramjet Cruiseback Horizontal Takeoff MAGLEV Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn RBCC airbreathing Launch Turn Air Launched RBCC Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km RBCC rocket Mach 10 Switch Airplane Cruiseback Uprange Cruise Horizontal Takeoff Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn Single Stage Airbreather (RBCC) High-Speed Turn RBCC Rocket Uprange Acceleration Horizontal Takeoff MAGLEV Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km Mach 10 Switch Mach 4 Flyback Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn

HASTOL Phase II Hypersonic Aircraft Concept: Air Launched Turbo-Rocket Burnout at Mach 17, 150 km 138 11 Airturborocket Mach 6 Rocket Switch at Airplane Launch Cruiseback Turn Uprange Cruise Horizontal Takeoff Horizontal Landing Gliding Entry with Turn 54 2 17 5 Takeoff Wt: Payload: Payload bay: Apogee: 177 MT (390,883 lb) 7 MT (15,000 lb) 3 m dia x 9.1 m (10 ft x 30 ft) 150 km Speed at Apogee: 5.2 km/sec (approx. Mach 17) 5.7 km/sec (inertial) Air-turborocket to Mach 6 Linear Rocket above Mach 6

HASTOL Tether Facility Design Mass Ratios: Control Station 10x payload Tether 58.8x Grapple 0.12 TOTAL: ~ 69 x payload Tether Length: 630 km Orbit: 582x805 km ->569x499 System Masses Tether Characteristics Tether mass 323,311 kg Tether Length 636,300 m CS Active Mass 51,510 kg Tether mass ratio 58.78 CS Ballast Mass 3490 kg Tether tip velocity at catch 2,517 m/s Grapple mass 650 kg Tether tip velocity at toss 2,481 m/s Total Facility Mass 378,961 kg Tether angular rate 0.00583 rad/s Gravity at Control Station 0.73 g Total Launch Mass 375,471 kg Gravity at payload 1.48 g Rendezvous acceleration 1.50 g Payload Mass 5,500 kg Pre-Catch Joined System Post-Toss Positions & Velocities Payload Tether Post-catch Tether Payload resonance ratio 41 20 1 26.0 perigee altitude km -4603 582 576 569 1001 apogee altitude km 150 805 650 499 107542 perigee radius km 1775 6960 6954 6948 7379 apogee radius km 6528 7183 7028 6877 113921 perigee velocity m/s 18789 7627 7591 7555 10073 apogee velocity m/s 5110 7390 7511 7632 652 CM dist. From Station m 204469 210647 204469 CM dist. To Grapple m 431831 425653 431831 ²V to Reboost m/s 72 ²V to Correct Apogee m/s -484 ²V to Correct Precess. m/s 416 ²V To Circularize m/s 1218 Maximum Total V ~ 5 km/s Capability to toss payload to 107,542 km Tosses to GTO by releasing off-vertical 2.00E+01 Basic Orbital Parameters semi-major axis km 4152 7072 6991 6912 60650 eccentricity 0.6 0.016 0.005-0.005 0.878 inclination rad 0 0 0 0 0 semi-latus rectum km 2792 7070 6991 6912 13861 sp. mech. energy m2/s2-4.80e+07-2.82e+07-2.85e+07-2.88e+07-3.29e+06 vis-viva energy m2/s2-9.60e+07-5.64e+07-5.70e+07-5.77e+07-6.57e+06 period sec 2662 5918 5817 5720 148647 period min 44.4 98.6 97.0 95.3 2477.5 station rotation period sec 1077.8 1077.8 1077.8 rotation ratio 5.5 5.4 5.3 Radius (mm) 1.00E+01 0.00E+00 630000 598500 567000 535500 504000 472500 441000 409500 378000 346500 315000 283500 252000 220500 189000 157500 126000 94500 63000 31500 0-1.00E+01-2.00E+01 Distance From Control Station

Boost Facility Concept Power Expansion Module w/ PV arrays Control Station w/ Power Expansion Modules Tether Expansion Module Tether Length/Dia not to scale Grapple Assembly

Operational HASTOL Control Station Initial Subsystem Mass Allocations Subsystems Control Station mass 55,000 kg Mass, kg. Thermal Control 1,970 Cabling/Harnesses 1,380 Structure 4,730 Electrical Power (EPS) & Tether Power 9,060 Command & Data Handling (C&DH) and Communication 200 Attitude Determination & Control (ADCS) and Guidance & 590 Navigation (GN&C) Tether Deployment and Control (TDCS) 1,380 Docking 390 Ballast 35,300

Phase I Results Show Feasibility of Payload Capture Tether-Payload Rendezvous Capability is a Key Enabling Technology TUI Developed Methods for Extending Rendezvous Window Works in Simulation Validation Experiments Needed

Relative Position of Grapple and Payload Relative Position of Grapple 70000 60000 60 Seconds 1,000 Km Tether Case, 4,100 m/s Rendezvous; Hypersonic A/C Coordinate System 60 Seconds Vertical Distance - Ft 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0-10000 Time Before Grapple Aft Before Grapple 30 20 10 10 Seconds After Grapple 30 Seconds Hypersonic Aircraft Pop-Up Apogee is at 335,000 Feet; 13,450 Ft/Sec (Mach 15.2) Time After Grapple Forward -4000-3000 -2000-1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 Horizontal Distance - Ft

Relative Position of Grapple and Payload 2000 Relative Position of Grapple 1,000 Km Tether Case, 4,100 m/s Rendezvous; Hypersonic A/C Coordinate System Time Before Grapple Time After Grapple Distances 1600 10 Seconds 10 Seconds 26 Ft, 1680 Ft Vertical Distance - Ft 1200 800 400 5 Seconds 5 Seconds 6 Ft, 420 Ft 0 1 Second 1 Second 1 Ft, 17 Ft 0 Ft, 0 Ft Hypersonic Aircraft Pop-Up Apogee is at Aft 335,000 Feet; 13,450 Ft/Sec (Mach 15.2) Forward -400-2000 -1600-1200 -800-400 0 400 800 1200 1600 2000 Horizontal Distance - Ft

Visual 6-DOF Simulation Validates Rendezvous and Capture Scenario

R&C Scenario Timeline/Sequence of Events Time (sec) Event 0 5 15 30 45 58 60 65 120 Start R&C scenario Initiate guidance predictions Issue P/L bay door discrete Issue P/L rotation mechanism commands P/L rotation complete Issue grapple assembly release discrete Nominal capture point End grapple assembly freefall End R&C scenario

Possible Follow-on Projects and Tasks Ground-Based Rendezvous and Capture Demo Detailed rendezvous and capture simulation and analysis. More detailed design of operational grapple Detailed design of demo hardware Sub-Scale Electrodynamic Tether Dynamics Experiments Secondary payload 4-5 km long ED tether; assess tether dynamics, survivability Sub-scale tether system to capture and toss payloads Four phase program: Design Fabrication and ground testing Flight experiment 1 st, tether is in circular orbit just a little higher than payload and hanging. Then, tether and payload rendezvous and capture (low relative speed). Tether then uses thrust to start rotating and throw payload. 2 nd, tether is in a higher elliptic orbit and rotating slowly. It rendezvous with payload (moderate relative speed), rotates, and tosses. 3 rd, demo at maximum rotation. Limited operation system for paying customers.

Aggressive Development Plan Leads to a 2015 IOC

Remaining Phase II Tasks Complete Boost Facility Concept Definition Complete Operational System Deployment Concept Define Grapple Requirements Using Rendezvous and Capture Simulation Define Grapple Concept Complete Survivability and Collision Avoidance Analyses Complete Follow-on Program Plans Estimate System Cost

Tether Systems Have the Potential to Enable Low Cost Access to Space Concept feasibility study already completed. Key targets for technical risk reduction have been identified. Tether experiments have already flown in space. Near term experiments further reduce potential system risks. Phase II analyses reveal near term demonstrations and flight experiments required for full scale system development. Commercial development path will probably be required. Modest near term government investment is encouraged to fund demos and experiments.