Abstract
A historical review of the development of a propulsion fluid system known as ACES (air collection and enrichment system) is presented. The role of the ACES system is to acquire and store liquid oxygen (LOX) en route to orbit for rocket use beyond the airbreathing envelope. The refrigeration capacity of liquid hydrogen is employed to condense the air and fractional distillation used to extract the oxygen component from the inlet airflow. Earth-to-orbit capability is achieved without carrying LOX from takeoff or relying on scramjets. The development history of the major ACES components is traced and a review of ACES system studies conducted since the 1960s is provided. The payload fractions achievable with ACES are shown to be competitive with scramjet-powered space launch vehicles without relying on airbreathing propulsion beyond the speed of conventional turboramjet engines.
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