March 22, 2021: The Space Shuttle Liquid Fly-back Booster Program and the Future
March 22, 2021
4:00 p.m.
Dr. William Michael Butler, Virginia Tech
For Zoom credentials, please email cloan@vt.edu
Faculty Host: Dr. Michael Philen
Abstract: In the 1990s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration conducted the Liquid Fly-Back Booster (LFBB) Program with the key objectives of enhancing the STS or Space Transportation System’s safety and reliability, improving its performance, and reducing overall operating cost. In 1997, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract to assess the feasibility of LFBBs to replace the existing solid rocket boosters of the STS. These LFBBs were to be capable of flying back to the launch site following separation from the orbiter/external tank during a typical STS launch. Due to the downrange distance traveled by the boosters following separation, a fly-back propulsion system was required in addition to a wing and aerodynamic control surfaces in order to traverse the -200 nautical mile distance back to the launch site. A number of design trade-off studies were conducted to identify candidates for the fly-back propulsion system, the wing planform design, control surface design, and core booster design for a specified ascent performance. These trade-off studies were bounded by a number of requirements including acceptable ascent and fly-back flying qualities, minimized ground infrastructure impacts, and reduced overall system complexity and cost.
The results from this effort formed the basis for multiple subsequent programs exploring reusable fly-back booster design that have been headed by NASA, the Department of Defense, and others. These efforts set the stage for future programs exploring hypersonics and access to space.
Bio: Dr. Wm. Michael Butler is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. He is a former Air Vehicle Configurator in Advanced Development Programs at Lockheed Martin with 22 years of service. He worked on a variety of programs ranging from subsonic UAVs to fighters and launch vehicles. Dr. Butler is the current Director of the Frith First-Year Engineering Design Laboratory serving over 2,000 engineering students yearly. He has been a course developer and coordinator for the ENGE 1216 Foundations of Engineering II design course and co-created its successful Drone Project where hundreds of engineering students design, build and fly medical delivery drone prototypes. He has a B.S. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a PhD in Engineering Education all from Virginia Tech. His research focuses on air vehicle design, design education and workforce preparation. He has received Lockheed Martin performance awards, a Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Engineering Education Department’s Nunnally Award for Outstanding Engineering Education Faculty Member, and has been a finalist for the College of Engineering Sporn Award. He is a Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education. Dr. Butler is also a co-inventor on two patents relating to air vehicle design.