An investigation of the fuel-optimal periodic trajectories of a hypersonic vehiclePeriodic trajectories were found to minimize the range-averaged fuel consumption. For a realistic hypersonic aircraft modeled as a point mass over a nonrotating, spherical Earth, the periodic orbit yielded a 15 percent improvement in fuel consumption over static cruise. Moreover, vehicle dynamic loading was contained within a realistic survivability envelope of 8 g's. The resulting periodic orbit is composed of very distinct flight regimes (Keplerian arc, atmospheric glide and powered climb), which may offer mission advantages over the static path.
Document ID
19930067352
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Dewell, Larry D. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Speyer, Jason L. (California Univ. Los Angeles, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: In: AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, Monterey, CA, Aug. 9-11, 1993, Technical Papers. Pt. 1 (A93-51301 22-63)
Publisher: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics