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Introduction to Spaceflight > Space Transportation > Flashcards

Space Transportation Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition of mobility?

A

The ability to move freely or be easily moved

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2
Q

What are the building blocks of self-sustaining space mobility?

A
  • Transportation (access to space, in-space transfer, re-entry and landing, planetary exploration)
  • Harvesting and preparation of in-space resources
  • Refurbishment, incl. refueling
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3
Q

What are segments of space transportation systems?

A
  • Earth-to-suborbital
  • Earth-to-orbit
  • In-orbit
  • Planetary entry/landing
  • Low gravity-to-orbit
  • Interplanetary/deep-space
  • Return and re-entry
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4
Q

What is a space transportation system comprised of?

A
  • Vehicle (Space Segment)
  • Interfaces (to Payload, to Ground Segment)
  • Ground Segment
  • Payload
  • Concept of operations
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5
Q

What are important factors to pick (1) and design (2) a space transportation system?

A

1.
- Performance
- Price
- Availability
- Reliability
- Service level
2.
- Performance
- Price
- Availability
- Reliability
- Launch site

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6
Q

What is something important to consider for space transportation systems when travelling between objects?

A

The delta v requirement to get where you need to be

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7
Q

What does the total launch mass of a spacecraft consist of?

A
  • Structural mass mS
  • Engine mass mM
  • Propellant mass mPR
  • Payload mass mP
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8
Q

What mass should be as small as possible in launcher systems (1) and what is the ratio of this mass to the total mass in today’s launcher systems (2)?

A
  1. Structural mass
  2. Around 0.12
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9
Q

What is staging (1) and what does it achieve (2)?

A
  1. No longer required structure is separated and doesn’t need to be accelerated anymore
  2. To obtain a maximum delta v (since Ratio of propellant is 1 in this case, thus the other ratios should be near 0), the structural ratio is minimised
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10
Q

What effect does staging have on the rocket equation?

A

The total delta v comprises of the delta v’s of all stages, meaning the initial mass of each stage is divided by each end mass and added in the equation

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11
Q

What is sequential staging?

A

Launcher consists of more than one stage, which sequentially become operational

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12
Q

What is parallel staging?

A

The stages burn simultaneously (but can have different total burn times), can lead to high acceleration but also high loss due to higher aerodynamic resistance

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13
Q

What does a high number of stages lead to?

A

Higher delta v, but also higher complexity and cost

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14
Q

What are some (6) satellite classes?

A
  • Large (>1000kg)
  • Mini Smallsats / Light (100-1000kg)
  • Micro (10-100kg)
  • Nano (1-10kg)
  • Pico (0.1-1kg)
  • Femto Satellite-on-a-chip (0.01-0.1kg)
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15
Q

How many orbital launches were there in 2019 (1) and 2022 (2) respectively, and how much total spacecraft was carried in both years?

A
  1. 102 (492 spacecraft)
  2. 186 (2521 spacecraft)
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16
Q

What are the top 3 international actors for spacecraft launches?

A
  1. USA
  2. China
  3. Europe
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17
Q

What launcher system has a large cost per kg (1), what system has a low cost (2) and what is the general trend from a decade ago to today (3)?

A
  1. Space Shuttle
  2. Starship
  3. Launching is ten times cheaper
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18
Q

What makes up the highest percentage of first and second stage weight, but has a really low cost?

A

Propellant

19
Q

What costs the most in first stage (1) and second stage (2)?

A
  1. Engine
  2. Split between Engine, Structures and Avionics and Electrical
20
Q

What are the main components and subsystems of a launcher system?

A
  • Propellant
  • Structure (incl. mechanisms like landing gear, payload adapters)
  • Propulsion subsystem(s)
  • Electrical subsystem and software
  • Thrust-Vector Control
  • Attitude and Control
  • Separation subsystem(s)
  • Pyrotechnical chain
  • Re-entry Thermal Protection
  • Recovery / Landing
21
Q

What are the main parameters of a launcher system?

A
  • Number and delta v increment of stages
  • Mass contributions (Propellant, structural mass, mass at stage separation)
  • Performance parameters of engines (Specific impulse, thrust)
  • Global launcher parameters (Launch mass, Thrust-to-Weight ratio at launch, maximum acceleration of stages, payload environment)
22
Q

What are some important considerations for the launch site?

A

Boundary conditions (Humidity, Side winds, Rain, Temperature, Gusts, Ions, Meteorites, Debris)

23
Q

What are some (3) important requirements for launcher systems?

A
  • Policy aspects (Planning, Cost, Industrial policy)
  • Technical aspects (Performance, Environment, RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, Safety)
  • Exploitation aspects (Exploitation, Mission preparation, Operations, Services)
24
Q

What are some (6) policy requirements of launcher systems?

A
  • Guaranteed access to space
  • Environmentally friendly
  • Maintain and ensure space transportation competence with long term perspective
  • International activities
  • Ensure access to and transportation in space for lowest overall cost
  • Competitive on the commerical launcher market
25
Q

What are some (5) technical requirements for launcher systems?

A
  • Injection accuracy
  • Mass and centering
  • Frequency requirements
  • Mechanical environment
  • Thermal environment
26
Q

What are 2 types of launch systems, differing by take-off?

A
  • Horizontal take-off (requires runway, considered for reusable items, today: payload to orbit limited to aircraft loading capabilities)
  • Vertical take-off (classic, expendable launchers)
27
Q

What is an example for horizontal take-off?

A

Virgin orbit, which had an aircraft carry a rocket

28
Q

What are some (5) examples for vertical take-off?

A
  • Soyuz FG (Russia)
  • Ariane 5 (Europe)
  • Long March 3 (China)
  • GSLV (India)
  • Falcon 9 (USA)
29
Q

What are some (4) properties of the architecture of launchers?

A
  • Number of stages
  • Size and shape of stages
  • Type of propulsion
  • Thrust class of propulsion units
30
Q

What is the start mass (1), the structural mass (2), the payload mass (3) and the propellant mass (4) of an Ariane 5 launcher?

A
  1. 780t
  2. 100t
  3. > 21t (for LEO)
  4. 670t
31
Q

What are the main components of an Ariane 5 launcher from top to bottom?

A
  1. Payload
  2. Fairing
  3. Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC)
  4. Upper stage with liquid rocket engine
  5. Stage separation mechanisms
  6. Tanks and structure
  7. Main stage with liquid rocket engine
  8. SRM boosters
32
Q

What are the orbital (1) and satellite (2) requirements of Ariane 5 for GTO?

A

1.
- Apogee: 35786km
- Perigee: 580km
- Inclination: 7°
2.
- Single: 6800kg
- Double: 5970kg

33
Q

What are the orbital (1) and satellite (2) requirements of Ariane 5 for SSO?

A

1.
- Circular orbit
- Altitude: 800km
- Inclination: 98.6°
2.
- 10000kg

34
Q

What are the orbital (1) and satellite (2) requirements of Ariane 5 for LEO?

A

1.
- Circular orbit
- Altitude: 500km
- Inclination: 28.5°
2.
- 18000kg

35
Q

Which stage in the Ariane 5 launcher is pulled and which pushes?

A

The cryogenic central stage “hangs” between solid boosters and is “pulled” upwards (high loads at the central stage and booster connection)

36
Q

Where does the optimal trajectory for launching lie generally (1) and how does it change during its flight (2)?

A
  1. Between flying straight up (minimal drag loss, maximal g-t loss) and flying perpendicular to earth (minimal g-t loss, maximal drag)
  2. Early nearly vertical to reduce drag, later horizontal to reduce gravity effects)
37
Q

At what altitudes do the separations of the 2 satellites occur for an Ariane 5 launcher?

A
  1. 1036km
  2. 2585km
38
Q

Why is there a small timeframe between separation of stage 1 and ignition of stage 2 in Ariane 5 launchers?

A
  • Prevent collision or other interferences
  • Residual forces or motions need to settle first to ensure stability
39
Q

What are some (5) important launch sites (1), what impact do they have on launches (2) and which is suited for which application (3)?

A

1.
- Plesetsk (62.7°)
- Baikonour (51.6°)
- Canaveral (28.5°)
- Kourou (5.2°)
- Sea Launch (0°)
2. Provide additional dv:
- 213m/s
- 288m/s
- 408m/s
- 462m/s
- 464m/s
3. Higher dv has advantages for GTO, but disadvantages for SSO and polar orbits

40
Q

What launch site is predominantly used by Europe?

A

Guiana Space Center

41
Q

What are some (3) tracking ground stations of ESA?

A
  • Santa Maria
  • Kourou
  • Villafranca
42
Q

What does propellant consist of?

A

Fuel + Oxidizer = Propellant

43
Q

What is the delta v required to reach an orbit around Earth?

A

delta v = 9.5km/s

Introduction to Spaceflight (6 decks)

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