AAE 450 Spring 2008 Allen Guzik January 31, 2008 Trajectory Airplane Launch Trajectory Code and ΔV Drag Comparison Trajectory Optimization 1/5

AAE 450 Spring 2008 Sample Airplane Launch Trajectory Optimization Trajectory Code Can Now Predict Orbits From an Aircraft Launch Ascent Trajectory Launch Site Initial Height of 12,200 m 2/5

AAE 450 Spring 2008 ΔV Drag Comparison  Purpose –Attempt to validate how the trajectory code estimates drag –Compare vehicle mass to Δv drag –Compare drag from different launching configurations Trajectory Optimization Airplane, Balloon, Ground, Drag ΔV Comparison Launch Type GLOW [kg] With Atmosphere ModelNo Atmosphere Model ΔV DragΔV Total % ΔV Drag of Total ΔV DragΔV Total Airplane29,023759, %09,876 Airplane5, , %010,447 Balloon5,593142, %02,895 Ground29, , %010,677 Ground5, , %09,982  Assumptions –Same initial steering law conditions –Orbit obtained is not considered –Same dimensions  Conclusions –Lighter Vehicle Increases Δv drag –Airplane and Balloon Launches decrease Δv drag –Trajectory Code handles drag appropriately, however the magnitude of the results need to be verified.  Future Work –More analysis to further verify if Drag is being modeled correctly. 3/5

AAE 450 Spring 2008 Backup Slides Trajectory Optimization  Sample Affect of Atmosphere on Ascent –Both Cases are for a GROUND LAUNCH With Atmosphere No Atmosphere 4/5

AAE 450 Spring 2008 Backup Slides Trajectory Optimization  Sample Balloon Ascent 30,500 m 5/5