This paper reports the results of the second phase of a research project to characterize and optimize the design of an advanced launch vehicle for human access to low earth orbit. The vehicle makes use of rocket-based ...

This research proposes two methods to investigate the robustness differences between competing types of advanced space launch systems. These methods encompass two different phases of the advanced design process and are ...

The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting research into a military spaceplane (MSP) through the Military Spaceplane System Technology Program Office. The goal of this program is to provide ...

Magel is an advanced partially reusable launch architecture which uses two large magnetically repelled superconducting rings as the first stage system and a liquid expendable rocket as the upper stage. This architecture ...

The Chimera rocket was designed to enter the small satellite market by offering an affordable and flexible alternative to the Pegasus launch vehicle. A number of design concepts were evaluated, and one was selected to ...

Following NASA's lead in Intelligent Synthesis Environments, advanced vehicle design communities are beginning to explore automated distributed computing frameworks for integrating disciplinary analysis tools. These design ...

A technique for determining the thermophysical properties of high-energy-density matter (HEDM) propellants is presented. HEDM compounds are of interest in the liquid rocket engine industry due to their high density and ...

The President's Vision for Space Exploration presents a need to determine the best architecture and set of vehicle elements in order to achieve a sustained human lunar exploration program. The Lunar Architecture Stochastic ...