Prospective new transportation application initiatives in NASA's earth-to-orbit propulsion technology program
NASA's Earth-to-Orbit (ETO) Propulsion Technology Program, a multi-year/multi-task focused technology effort is, today, highly focused on conventional high-thrust cryogenic liquid chemical rocket engines and their envisioned future technology needs. But as highlighted in the U.S. National Ten-Year Space Launch Technology Plan, a set of less-conventional propulsion subjects, ones which offer significant promise for both, improving the state of the art and opening up new propulsion-capability possibilities, is now directed to the space propulsion planning community's attention. In conducting its forward-planning activities, it is highly appropriate that the ETO Program (and other programs as well) carefully consider integrating these "new initiative" subjects into the taskwork of future years. After an introductory consideration of the National Plan's propulsion-related directives, followed by a brief background overview of the ETO Program, the following specific new-initiative candidates are discussed from the standpoint of technology-program planning: operationally efficient propulsion systems; high-thrust hybrid rocket propulsion; low-cost, low-pressure expendable propulsion subsystems; advanced cryogenic in-space propulsion systems; integrated modular engine (IME) configured propulsion systems, and combined-cycle airbreathing/rocket propulsion systems.