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Waverider Should you wish to contact the
society or require general information please contact ASTRA
using the following Email address: Should you encounter any problems
with this Web
Page please
email: It has been over five years since Dr.
Mark Lewis at the University of Maryland began our
collaboration using the JPL Cray computer to study optimum
waverider shapes for Venus and Mars at high design Mach
numbers (greater than 10). He has specifically been
investigating detailed boundary layer characteristics that
might affect the shape of waveriders in the high speed
regime (Mach greater than 40) imposed by Aero Gravity Assist
(AGA) manoeuvres at the terrestrial planets. One of the U of
M design concepts was made into a wind tunnel model and
tested at the Naval Surface Warfare tunnel in Maryland in
1995. The results of the tests were very encouraging and
matched within ten percent the computer predictions for L/D
ratio at high speeds as high as Mach 15. Last year a series of contacts with
individuals on the Lockheed-Martin X-33
(Venture Star) program at the Skunk Works in Palmdale,
California led to a meeting there with the Venture Star
design team and included Lewis (U of M), McRonald (JPL), and
Randolph (JPL) to discuss the possible use of waveriders in
the program. JPL proposed that a waverider, outfitted with a
linear aerospike propulsion system (similar to the X-33
design), could be designed to fit into the Venture Star
payload bay as an upper stage vehicle. This Waverider Upper
Stage (WUS) could be delivered to LEO by the Venture Star.
It would then be deployed from the payload bay and the WUS
engine would be ignited to inject the waverider into an
interplanetary trajectory to Venus. The waverider could then
perform an AGA manoeuvre at Venus (and then at Mars) to
produce high speed transfer trajectories to targets in the
Solar System and elsewhere. Dr. Lewis (U of M) designed a
waverider that would fit into the Venture Star bay and have
an L/D ratio of greater than 7 at high speeds (greater than
Mach 10). The vehicle is shown in the Venture Star
configuration in Figure
1. A full set of views of the
waverider is shown in Figure
2. We had an opportunity in early 1996
to see Mr. Andrew K. Sokolov at his Moscow studio. He became
interested in the AGA concept and asked if we could send him
a drawing of the U of M waverider so that he could make a
painting of an AGA manoeuvre as seen from the surface of
Mars. Figure
2 was sent to Mr. Sokolov and
we hope to see one of his space masterpieces with a
waverider in it. In January 1997 an aero assist
workshop was held at JPL to examine the use of aerodynamic
vehicles for aerocapture, aerobraking in orbit and AGA
manoeuvres. This was an opportunity to present the AGA
concept using waveriders to the NASA aeroassist community at
large. The waverider was identified as a vehicle requiring
future technology development for AGA and aerocapture
manoeuvres. New leading edge materials (Di-Borain ?) were
discussed as the new hope for operating in the AGA
manoeuvring environment. We are, as always, keeping the faith
in the future of waveriders and hoping for the day when they
will revolutionise interplanetary travel.
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