THE USE OF AIRBREATHING ENGINES FOR ACCESS TO SPACE

Dr. Isaiah M. Blankson
Senior Scientist/technologist
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH 44139 


One overriding goal of NASA’s Space Flight programs is to provide the means 
for low-cost access to space. This requirement is critical as the demand for
 space access by both US and foreign governments and private companies is 
expected to grow. Historically, rocket-powered vehicles have been used as 
launch vehicles to achieve these objectives. Such vehicles carry both fuel 
and oxidizer onboard. If an external oxidizer (such as the Earth’s atmosphere)
 is utilized, the need to carry an onboard is eliminated, and future launch 
vehicles could carry a larger payload into orbit at a fraction of the total 
fuel expenditure. For this reason, NASA is currently researching the use of 
airbreathing engines to power the first stage of two-stage-to-orbit hypersonic
 launch systems. Removing the need to carry an onboard oxidizer in the atmospheric 
first stage of the two-stage vehicle leads to reductions in total vehicle weight 
at liftoff. This in turn reduces the total mass of propellant required, and thus 
decreases the cost of carrying a specific payload into orbit or beyond.