Abstract: A rocket motor is disclosed that can include a combustion chamber containing a solid fuel that is operable to burn during operation of the rocket motor to generate combustion gas and unburned gaseous fuel. The rocket motor can also include a propellant supply containing an energy-rich oxidizer with a decomposition energy greater than or equal to 1.0 MJ/kg. In addition, the rocket motor can include a thrust augmented nozzle (TAN) operably coupled to the combustion chamber to receive the combustion gas from the combustion chamber and direct a flow of the combustion gas through the TAN. The TAN can have a divergent portion downstream of a throat, and a propellant injection port associated with the divergent portion and in communication with the propellant supply to inject the energy-rich oxidizer into the divergent portion.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for providing a restartable ignition system for a hybrid rocket system. In one embodiment, an ignition device includes a housing and at least two electrodes. The housing includes a first side and a second side and defines a bore with an axis extending therethrough between the first and second sides, the bore defining an internal surface of the housing. The at least two electrodes extend through the housing to the internal surface. The at least two electrodes are configured to be spaced apart so as to provide an electrical potential field along the internal surface between the at least two electrodes. Such housing is formed with and includes multiple flat layers such that the multiple flat layers provide ridges along the internal surface. With this arrangement, the internal surface with the ridges are configured to concentrate an electrical charge upon being subjected to the electrical potential field.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for providing a solid grain fuel for a hybrid rocket. In one embodiment, the solid grain fuel includes a housing having a length extending between a first side and a second side. The housing defines a central axis and a bore extending from the first side to the second side. The bore of the housing extends with a helical configuration along the length of the housing. Further, the housing includes multiple segments configured to interlock together to form the bore along the length of the housing.

Abstract: Devices, methods, and systems for providing a restartable ignition system for a hybrid rocket system. In one embodiment, an ignition device includes a housing and at least two electrodes. The housing includes a first side and a second side and defines a bore with an axis extending therethrough between the first and second sides, the bore defining an internal surface of the housing. The at least two electrodes extend through the housing to the internal surface. The at least two electrodes are configured to be spaced apart so as to provide an electrical potential field along the internal surface between the at least two electrodes. Such housing is formed with and includes multiple flat layers such that the multiple flat layers provide ridges along the internal surface. With this arrangement, the internal surface with the ridges are configured to concentrate an electrical charge upon being subjected to the electrical potential field.

Abstract: A method for reducing drag upon a blunt-based vehicle by adaptively increasing forebody roughness to increase drag at the roughened area of the forebody, which results in a decrease in drag at the base of this vehicle, and in total vehicle drag.

Abstract: An airdata estimation and evaluation system and method, including a stable algorithm for estimating airdata from nonintrusive surface pressure measurements. The airdata estimation and evaluation system is preferably implemented in a flush airdata sensing (FADS) system. The system and method of the present invention take a flow model equation and transform it into a triples formulation equation. The triples formulation equation eliminates the pressure related states from the flow model equation by strategically taking the differences of three surface pressures, known as triples. This triples formulation equation is then used to accurately estimate and compute vital airdata from nonintrusive surface pressure measurements.

Abstract: The invention is embodied in a method of integrating kinematics equations for updating a set of vehicle attitude angles of a vehicle using 3-dimensional angular velocities of the vehicle, which includes computing an integrating factor matrix from quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a total integrated angular rate from the quantities corresponding to a 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a state transition matrix as a sum of (a) a first complementary function of the total integrated angular rate and (b) the integrating factor matrix multiplied by a second complementary function of the total integrated angular rate, and updating the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix.