Responsive Access Small Cargo Affordable Launch (RASCAL ...

These characteristics were then analyzed in TBEAT using an afterburning turbofan to
obtain the dependence of thrust and Isp on Mach number and altitude (Figure 10).
Thrust
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Mach
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
ISP
Figure 10: TBEAT data for F-100 Engine.
Thrust (10,000 ft)
Thrust (50,000 ft)
ISP (50,000 ft)
ISP (10,000 ft)
As expected as the altitude increases both the thrust and Isp diminish. This is the main
problem for using turbofans in space access systems. As the altitude increases the
density of the incoming air decreases and the engines become inefficient and unable to
produce the required thrust. Another problem is that in high speed flight the turbo
machinery exceeds the maximum temperature of the materials. This causes the engine to
melt itself. The solution is to pre-cool the incoming air to below the machine limits and
to increase the density at high altitudes to retain the high thrust experiences at lower
altitudes.
MIPCC Design:
MIPCC (Mass Injecting Pre-Cooling Compressor) technology dates back to the
early 1950’s. MIPCC is an engine enhancing technology initially designed to propel high
speed fighters beyond Mach 3. These fighters were pursued by the USAF in the early
1950’s to combat perceived cold war threat of high speed USSR bombers. As
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