Investigating the Legacy of Air-Breathing and Rocket Propulsion Systems

Resurgence of interest in hypersonic and space-access vehicles increases the demand for an educated workforce. A valuable approach to immediately educate a new generation of engineers is simply to remember the past. The objective of this paper is to present the historical development of high-speed airbreathing and rocket propulsion systems. These systems include the ramjet, scramjet, rocket, and combined cycle engines. It is observed that a readily available comprehensive accounting of said systems in a singular location is absent. Additionally, due to the nature of these high-speed systems, information is often classified or restricted; as such, this paper solely focuses on information publicly available. A study of this type is approached from two avenues. First, a chronological accounting of both U.S. and international high-speed programs. Second, a data driven analytical accounting of said programs to arrive at propulsion and vehicle design regressions. This paper presents the first step- the chronological accounting. A comprehensive database of ramjet, scramjet, rockets, and combined cycle systems has been assembled and analyzed for technology evolution. The findings of the analysis are visualized in a chronological infographic identifying significant milestones.