For Release: May 23, 1996

June Malone
Office of Media Services
(205) 544-0034
june.malone@msfc.nasa.gov

RELEASE: 96-42

NASA SELECTS THIRTEEN UNIVERSITY/INDUSTRY TEAMS TO DEVELOP
HIGHLY REUSABLE SPACE TRANSPORTATION CONCEPTS

NASA has selected thirteen innovative proposals from industry and universities to begin cooperative agreement negotiations as part of its Highly Reusable Space Transportation (HRST) Advanced Study Project.

Managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., the advanced concepts program is designed to gather new and innovative space transportation ideas for possible development into the next century.

A NASA Research Announcement issued on April 5 solicited proposals for technology research and development to identify and define new concepts for Highly Reusable Space Transportation. Specifically, NASA intends to support efforts that identify, define and analyze innovative new concepts which may be capable of achieving Earth-to-orbit (ETO) launch costs of less than $100-$200 per payload pound. Also, NASA will support the necessary laboratory-scale experiment studies to validate characteristics for these concepts.

"These projects will explore exciting new approaches to revolutionary space launch capabilities for the 21st Century," said John Mankins, manager of advanced concept studies in NASA’s Office of Space Access and Technology. "Also, achieving these exceptionally low costs will make possible the creation of wholly new space markets and industry."

NASA solicited ideas in the following technical areas of interest:

combination propulsion systems, combined cycle propulsion systems, launch assist systems, revolutionary on-board propulsion systems, highly evolved expendable launch vehicles, and cross-cutting topics (including operations, manufacturing and thrust augmentation).

The next step for the thirteen teams is to negotiate final agreements. That process is expected to be complete within 30-60 days. The research proposals should be completed within 16 months of finalizing the details of each team’s cooperative agreement with NASA.

NASA anticipates the total value of the awards for this program to be approximately $1 million.

A list of selected teams follows:

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, VA, for Prior Concepts, Technologies, and Policy/Economic Considerations Applicable to HRST Study. J. Grey is the principal investigator.

ANSER Corporation for An Advanced HRST System Concept Definition and Assessment. R. Chase is the principal investigator.

Analex Corporation, Albuquerque, NM, for Low Cost access to Space Using Transverse Flux Electric Motors for Launch Assist of a Conventional Technology Single Stage to Orbit. D. Geyer is the principal investigator.

Auburn University, Auburn, AL, for Analysis and Evaluation of Potential Power Systems for a Reusable Electro-magnetic Launch-Assist System. S. Merryman is the principal investigator.

Auburn University, Auburn, AL, for A Light Gas Gun approach to Achieving First Stage Acceleration Systems. F. Rose is the principal investigator.

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA, for HRST System Concept Evaluation. J. Olds is the principal investigator.

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, for Control of Mixing and Combustion in Combined Cycle Engines. C. Merkle is the principal investigator.

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, for A Focused System Concept Definition Study of Revolutionary On-Board Propellant Systems. R. Santoro is the principal investigator.

Pioneer Astronautics, Indian Hills, CO, for Propellant Transfer Spaceplanes as a Means of Launch Assist. M.B. Clapp is the principal investigator.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, for Very Advanced HRST Exploiting Off-board Beamed Power. L. Myrabo is the principal investigator.

Rockwell International/Space Transportation Systems Division, Downey, CA, for Proposal for HRST End-to-End System-Level Concepts Analysis. J. Haney is the principal investigator.

Rockwell International/Rocketdyne Division for HRST Propulsion Option Study. D. Levack is the principal investigator.

University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa for HRST. J. Martin is the principal investigator.