East Coast Abort Modeling with RTLS Elimination for the Space Shuttle- Liquid Fly Back Booster Launch System

This study investigates the ability of the proposed Liquid Fly Back Booster, a replacement for the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs), to eliminate the need for the Return to Launch Site (RTLS) abort mode. A Fortran model of a nominal launch trajectory was perturbed to simulate a single Space Shuttle Main Engine-out (SSME-out) abort scenario at different times in the launch with the goal being to abort to the southern most landing site possible. The model accounts for vehicle lift, drag, dynamic pressure, throttling times and includes atmospheric effects to enhance fidelity. Results show the RTLS abort mode can be eliminated and successful landings made as far south as Savannah, Georgia. This success is attributed to the throttling capability of the Liquid Fly Back Booster engines.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH is the author of 'East Coast Abort Modeling with RTLS Elimination for the Space Shuttle- Liquid Fly Back Booster Launch System', published 1999 under ISBN 9781423546542 and ISBN 1423546547.