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Optimum staging of solid-propellant rocket vehicles

par Thackwell, H.L. H.L.;Vandenkerckhove, Jean
Référence Astronautica Acta, 7, 2-3, page (190-202)
Publication Publié, 1961

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

After having established optimum staging principles for determining the relative weights of the stages of a solid propellant rocket vehicle, the relative influence of specific impulse and propellant mass fraction of the various stages on the performance of the optimized multistage system is investigated. It is shown: • - that the use of more efficient upper stages must result in the selection of relatively smaller boosters. • - that this trends towards lighter first stages is more pronounced for high performance systems for which the gross weight to payload ratio is well below 100. A comparison between truly optimized and "normal" staging assuming equal velocity increments for the stages, as well as between two and three-stage vehicles, is also carried out. © 1961.