Abstract:

By 2020, Flights into low earth orbit will be as common as intercontinental flights are today. Because of its heavy mass of propellant carried, today's space shuttle can not meet the needs of the busy aerospace transportation in next century. For developing advanced aerospace vehicles, new technologies should be adopted as far as possible. Reviewing the recent advances in energy sources, laser techniques, and electric propulsions, an effective way for reducing the propellant carried is indicated. It is suggested that the new vehicle will be powered by remote pulsed laser beam. The laser propulsion engine will be of variable cycle type using plasma generator and the vehicle will be of rotary plate type.It will be taken off by external radiated-heated VTOL thruster, lifted by magneto hydrodynamic fanjet, and accelerated by rotary rocket pulsejet. The mechanism and performance of such engines as well as their development and perspectives are introduced. Sending the same payload into low earth orbit, the vehicle mass at liftoff will be 1/20 as that of today's space shuttleis, and the propellant carried only 1/40 as that of today's shuttle.

Key words: spacecraft, lasers, plasma propulsion, magnetohydrodynamic flow