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Topic: Aerospike

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	X-33 Aerospike Engine Set for Test
		NASA engineers are preparing a linear aerospike engine for a third ignition test, possibly as early as Wednesday, at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
		Unlike conventional rocket engines that use a bell nozzle to constrict expanding gases, the aerospike shape is an inside-out and upside-down bell.
		The aerospike’s design allows it to be efficient at all altitudes, unlike the conventional bell nozzle.
	www.space.com /businesstechnology/business/aerospike_test_991025.html (190 words)

	Aerospike Nozzle and Minimum Length Nozzle Design
		The ideal contour or shape of the external ramp of the aerospike nozzle is determined using isentropic supersonic flow theory.
		The thruster sonic-section angle is measured from the axis of the aerospike nozzle to the section that defines the throat of the thruster (where Mach number = 1).
		Aerospike length from origin (Lnozzle): Total length of the aerospike nozzle from the origin (throat) of the thruster to the end of the ramp.
	www.aerorocket.com /MOC/MOC.html (2728 words)

	NASA - Pointy End Up? With Aerospike Rockets, It's Down, Too!
		The main advantage of aerospike nozzles is that, as the rocket climbs, atmospheric and airstream pressure act on the plume to keep it at an optimum setting along the entire trajectory.
		Although the advantages of the aerospike nozzles are well understood through analysis and ground test data, a shortage of actual published flight test data has precluded use of these nozzles in current as well as next generation space launch vehicles.
		The goals of this flight research project were to obtain aerospike rocket nozzle performance data in flight and to investigate the effects of transonic flow and transient rocket flight conditions on aerospike nozzle performance.
	www.nasa.gov /missions/research/aerospike_rocket.html (756 words)

	Aerospike engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		The aerospike engine is a type of rocket engine that maintains its efficiency across a wide range of altitudes through the use of an aerospike nozzle.
		Aerospike engines have been studied for a number of years and are the baseline engines for many single stage to orbit (SSTO) designs and were also a strong contender for the Space Shuttle Main Engine.
		The terminology in the literature surrounding this subject is somewhat confused- the term aerospike originally was used for a (very roughly conically tapering) truncated plug nozzle with some gas injection to form an 'air spike' to help make up for the absence of the tail of the plug.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Aerospike_engine (1110 words)

	Aerospike
		The aerospike is a type of rocket nozzle that, unlike traditional designs, maintains its effeciency across a wide range of altitudes.
		In the toroidal aerospike the spike is bowl-shaped with the exhaust existing in a ring around the outer rim.
		The "trick" to the aerospike design is that as the spacecraft climbs to higher altitudes, the air pressure holding the exhaust against the spike decreases.
	www.ebroadcast.com.au /lookup/encyclopedia/ae/Aerospike.html (627 words)

	Aerospike - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		An aerospike engine which is a rocket engine without a traditional rocket nozzle.
		A Drag Resistant Aerospike which helps reduce drag on missiles.
		This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Aerospike (102 words)

	Event Horizon Online
		The aerospike allows the smallest, lowest cost RLV to be developed because the engine fills the base, reducing base drag, and is integral to the vehicle, reducing installed weight when compared to a bell-shaped engine.
		The linear aerospike allows the smallest, lowest cost vehicle to be developed because the engine fills the base, reducing base drag, and is integral to the vehicle, reducing installed weight when compared to a bell-shaped engine.
		In additional, since the aerospike is conformal, it produces a hot gas plume which nearly fills the base area of the vehicle, thereby reducing “base drag” cause by open area at the base of the vehicle.
	library.thinkquest.org /C0121347/site/article.php?sid=46&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 (996 words)

	Aero_FAQ
		A plug nozzle is a truncated aerospike nozzle.
		Aerospike comes from the idea of introducing an additional flow into the base region of the trucated spike, forming an "aerodynamic spike" with the base flow.
		Since aerospike nozzles are altitude compensating, this is an effective and general way to depict the performance for a wide range of chamber pressures and altitudes.
	www.hq.nasa.gov /office/pao/History/x-33/aero_faq.htm (2620 words)

	Universe Today - Aerospike Engines Tested in Small Rockets (Site not responding. Last check: )
		The main advantage of aerospike nozzles is that, as the rocket climbs, atmospheric and airstream pressure act on the plume to keep it at an optimum setting along the entire trajectory.
		Although the advantages of the aerospike nozzles are well understood through analysis and ground test data, the lack of actual flight test data has precluded use of these nozzles in current as well as next generation space launch vehicles.
		The goals of this flight research project were to obtain aerospike rocket nozzle performance data in flight and to investigate the effects of transonic flow and transient rocket flight conditions on aerospike nozzle performance.
	www.universetoday.com /am/publish/printer_aerospike_engine_tested.html (637 words)

	Boeing: Rocketdyne: XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine (Site not responding. Last check: )
		The XRS-2200 Linear Aerospike Engine is being produced for use on the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' X-33 Vehicle.
		The Aerospike allows development of the most traceable X-33.
		Over $500 million have been invested to date in aerospike engines, and previous full-size versions of the engines have accumulated 73 tests and over 4,000 seconds of operation.
	www.boeing.com /defense-space/space/propul/XRS2200.html (83 words)

	Rocketdyne Technical Consulting Threshold Journal: Nozzle Design
		The aerospike engine, built and tested by Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne in the 1960s, is currently being evaluated for potential use with an SSTO vehicle because of its built-in altitude compensation features and the beneficial manner in which it "packages" or integrates with the vehicle.
		In an aerospike, the nozzle expansion process originates at a point on the outer edge of the annulus which is referred to as the "cowl-lip." Because this point is also exposed to ambient pressure, the flow turning or expansion is limited by the influence of the external environment.
		As the ambient pressure decreases with increasing altitude, the nozzle exhausts for both the aerospike and the bell nozzle are capable of greater expansion.
	www.rocketdynetech.com /articles/nozzledesign.htm (4170 words)

	Aerospikes (Henry Spencer; Ben Muniz; Jeff Greason)
		Subject: Re: Aerospike (repost sci.space.policy article) From: yqq7121@rs0200.rdyne.rockwell.com (Ben Muniz (586-3578) ; /home/auspex_d0/usr2/yqq7121) Newsgroups: sci.space.tech In article , Kevin W. Ryan wrote: > In regards to the design of and difference between plug and aerospike >engines: it's been a while, but I think I can shed _some_ light on this.
		There are many references to aerospikes in the open technical literature: one that I've seen noted but haven't had a chance to get is: Ballard, R. "The Aerospike/Aeroplug Engine: A Technology Development Summary", Sverdrup Technology Inc., MSFC Group, Contract NAS8-37814, 1991.
		Aerospike engines (at least ones which appear to work), generally have a number of combustion chambers of more or less conventional design; it's the nozzle which is unusual, not the chambers.
	yarchive.net /space/rocket/aerospike.html (2251 words)

	Linear Aerospike Engine (Site not responding. Last check: )
		Rocketdyne proposed the aerospike engine for use on the Space Shuttle, but the engine was turned down because the technology was considered too immature at the time.
		The linear aerospike engine uses the atmosphere as part of its nozzle, with the surrounding airflow containing the rocket's exhaust plume.
		The aerospike has the gases flowing on the outside of a nozzle.
	www.csulb.edu /colleges/coe/ae/engr370i/ch10/sect_3-1 (471 words)

	eAc
		Aerospike nozzles are designed to be altitude compensating and self adjust the expansion ratio making them extremely useful for ground-launched sounding rockets.
		This feature is specifically useful for long burn hybrid rocket applications.
		Several design verification tests have occurred using short burn solid propellants, with the goal of applying the technology to the long burn Hybrid motors.
	hybrids.com /aerospike.htm (57 words)

	Aerospike - Summary
		The linear aerospike engine uses a common turbo-pump and a bank of liquid oxygen / hydrogen thrusters alligned along the top edge of a wedge shaped thrust structure.
		The key feature of the Aerospike engine is that, as the launch vehicle ascends during its trajectory, the decreasing air density allows the effective nozzle area ratio of the engine to increase.
		As a result, an aerospike engine's performance is very high along the entire trajectory and is more efficient than it's "fixed nozzle" counterparts.
	www.spaceandtech.com /spacedata/engines/aerospike_sum.shtml (141 words)

	Aerospaceweb.org \| Aerospike Engine - Introduction
		It was not long ago when the aerospike nozzle was unknown to all but a handful of rocketry experts.
		Aside from a spate of research in the early 1970s, the concept of the plug nozzle appeared to be nothing more than a footnote in aersopace history.
		Next, the theory underlying the aerospike family of nozzles will be presented.
	www.aerospaceweb.org /design/aerospike/main.shtml (161 words)

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