A Critical Parameter Optimization of Launch Vehicle Costs

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dc.contributor.advisorAkin, Daviden_US
dc.contributor.authorHerrmann, Todden_US
dc.contributor.departmentAerospace Engineeringen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2006-09-12T06:05:49Z
dc.date.available2006-09-12T06:05:49Z
dc.date.issued2006-08-15en_US
dc.description.abstractA parametric analysis aimed at minimizing costs of payload to low earth orbit is undertaken. By identifying a range of payload sizes, the effects of manipulating a number of critical parameters involving vehicle configurations on payload costs were examined. Vehicle configurations encompass single stage and multistage vehicles with combinations of airbreathing and/or rocket propulsion systems. Launch systems could be expendable or reusable on a stage-by-stage basis. Staging velocity is optimized for minimum cost at each design point. The costing model includes the effects of learning on production and operations, discount factors for multiyear investments, and the use of "refurbishment fraction" (fraction of initial procurement costs required for reusable vehicle refurbishment between flights) for estimating maintenance and turn-around costs. Overall vehicle recurring and nonrecurring costs are estimated based on sets of inert-mass cost estimating relations drawn from published sources.en_US
dc.format.extent4635747 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3927
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledEngineering, Aerospaceen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledlaunch vehicleen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledcostsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledexpendableen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledreuseableen_US
dc.titleA Critical Parameter Optimization of Launch Vehicle Costsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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