Investigation of very high energy rockets for future SSTO vehicles

Abstract

Several new propulsion possibilities are being explored in the U.S.A. which might significantly increase the amount of payload that can be propelled into orbit for a given launch vehicle weight. As such, they might enable significant reduction in the future cost of transportation between Earth and space. One possibility is the combustion of matter that is in an excited atomic or molecular state. Another possibility is the annihilation of matter by means of anti-matter (by matter with identical mass and opposite electrical charge). And if an appreciable fraction of the energies released by either of these processes could be converted into the useful kinetic energy of a rocket's exhaust, a 2–6-fold increase in its specific impulse might be achieved. This paper shows that a 2–6-fold increase in rocket specific impulse might enable a 4–12-fold reduction in aerospace vehicle weight. It also shows that the specific impulse potential of excited matter or anti-matter fuels might enable transport of heavy payloads into Earth orbit by means of single-stage-to-orbit vehicles that would be no heavier than current commercial airline jets.