Annotation There have been impressive achievements in the last few years in the technologies associated with turboramjets and other combined cycle engines. These technologies, including their thermal management and integration with the vehicle, are the principal concerns of this volume. Drawing on the expertise of international engineers and researchers in the field of high-speed vehicle propulsion systems, these articles, written by experts from the United States, Russia, Germany, Japan, Belgium, and Israel, highlight developments in the industry.

Annotation Leading researchers provide a cohesive treatment of the complex issues in high-speed propulsion, as well as introductions to the current capabilities for addressing several fundamental aspects of high-speed vehicle propulsion development. Includes more than 380 references, 290 figures and tables, and 185 equations.

The key to opening the use of space to private enterprise and to broader public uses lies in reducing the cost of the transportation to space. More routine, affordable access to space will entail aircraft-like quick turnaround and reliable operations. Currently, the space Shuttle is the only reusable launch vehicle, and even parts of it are expendable while other parts require frequent and extensive refurbishment. NASA's highest priority new activity, the Reusable Launch Vehicle program, is directed toward developing technologies to enable a new generation of space launchers, perhaps but not necessarily with single stage to orbit capability. This book assesses whether the technology development, test and analysis programs in propulsion and materials-related technologies are properly constituted to provide the information required to support a December 1996 decision to build the X-33, a technology demonstrator vehicle; and suggest, as appropriate, necessary changes in these programs to ensure that they will support vehicle feasibility goals.

This book details science of hypersonics especially focusing on propulsion aspects such as supersonic combustion ramjets and their applications, and also includes lift and drag in hypersonic flight and their mathematical and physical explanation. It provides charts and data from hypersonic testing and measurements from actual vehicles and engines built in the past. Criteria to dimension hypersonic powered and unpowered vehicles (gliders) based on fundamental fluid dynamics and backed by flight testing; criteria to preliminary sizing vehicles and preliminary dimensioning of supersonic combustors are introduced. The book will serve better theoretical understanding of drag, lift and how to apply them to the design of hypersonic vehicles, as well as data to size vehicles and supersonic combustion ramjet (SCRJ) systems. This book will be a useful reference for researchers and designers in hypersonic vehicles but also second or third-year graduate students.

The updated and expanded third edition of this book focuses on the multi-disciplinary coupling between flight-vehicle hardware alternatives and enabling propulsion systems. It discusses how to match near-term and far-term aerospace vehicles to missions and provides a comprehensive overview of the subject, directly contributing to the next-generation space infrastructure, from space tourism to space exploration. This holistic treatment defines a mission portfolio addressing near-term to long-term space transportation needs covering sub-orbital, orbital and escape flight profiles. In this context, a vehicle configuration classification is introduced covering alternatives starting from the dawn of space access. A best-practice parametric sizing approach is introduced to correctly design the flight vehicle for the mission. This technique balances required mission with the available vehicle solution space and is an essential capability sought after by technology forecasters and strategic planners alike.

The 24th International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW24) was held at the Beijing Friendship Hotel during July 11-16, 2004, in Beijing. It was a great pleasure for the Local Organizing Committee to organize the ISSW in China for the first time, because forty-seven years have passed since the First Shock Tube Symposium was held in 1957 at Albuquerque. The ISSW24 had to be postponed for one year because of the SARS outbreak in Beijing shortly before the Symposium was scheduled to be held in 2003, but it has achieved success due to the continuous support and kind understanding from all the delegates. It is very heart-warming to have had such an experience and I am very happy to have served as chairman for the Symposium. I would like to thank all for the contributions and help that they have given us over the past three years, without which we would not have had the Symposium. A total of 460 abstracts were submitted to the ISSW24. Each of the abstracts was evaluated by three members of the Scientific Review Committee and the decision on acceptance wasmade based on the reviewers' reports. 195oral papers,including 9plenary lectures, wereaccepted to be presented in three parallel sessions, and 135poster papers in three dedicated poster sessions. Topics discussed in these papers cover all aspects ofshock wave research.

Demand for high-speed propulsion has renewed development of the supersonic combustion ramjet engine (Scramjet engine) for hypersonic flight applications.