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Project ARGO: The design and analysis of an all-propulsive and an aeroassisted version of a manned space transportation vehicleThe Senior Aerospace System Design class at the University of Michigan undertook the design of a manned space transportation vehicle (STV) that would transport payloads between low earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO). Designated ARGO after the ship of the Greek adventurer Jason, two different versions of an STV that would be based, refueled, and serviced at the Space Station Freedom were designed and analyzed by the class. With the same 2-man/7-day nominal mission of transporting a 10,000-kg payload up to GEO and bringing a 5000-kg payload back to LEO, the two versions of ARGO differ in the manner in which the delta V is applied to insert the vehicle into LEO upon return from GEO. The all-propulsive ARGO (or CSTV for chemical STV) uses thrust from its LH2/LOX rocket engines to produce the delta V during all phases of its mission. While the aeroassisted ARGO (or ASTV for aeroassisted STV) also uses the same engines for the majority of the mission, the final delta V used to insert the ASTV into LEO is produced by skimming the Earth's atmosphere and using the drag on the vehicle to apply the required delta V. This procedure allows for large propellant, and thus cost, savings, but creates many design problems such as the high heating rates and decelerations experienced by a vehicle moving through the atmosphere at hypersonic velocities. The design class, consisting of 43 senior aerospace engineering students, was divided into one managerial and eight technical groups. The technical groups consisted of spacecraft configuration and integration, mission analysis, atmospheric flight, propulsion, power and communications, life support and human factors, logistics and support, and systems analysis. Two committees were set up with members from each group to create the scale models of the STV's and to produce the final report.
Document ID
19940004526
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Wang, H.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Seifert, D.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Waidelich, J.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Mileski, M.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Herr, D.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Wilks, M.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Law, G.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Folz, A.
(Michigan Univ. Ann Arbor, MI, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: USRA, NASA(USRA University Advanced Design Program Fifth Annual Summer Conference
Subject Category
Space Transportation
Accession Number
94N71281
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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