On Thu, 11 Sep 2003, Ian Woollard wrote:
> Wouldn't a ramjet make for a great fly-back booster though?
> You'd already have the speed from takeoff; when you get back down to the
> right altitude you light it and head for home...
Unfortunately, a flyback booster almost certainly wants to cruise back at
subsonic speed. L/D is much inferior at supersonic speeds, so you need
rather more fuel and rather more engine thrust (and hence engine mass) for
supersonic cruise. Ramjets work poorly below Mach 1.
Stir in the availability of turbofans off the shelf, and the desirability
of powered landings for operational transport vehicles, and ramjets don't
look very attractive for this.
Henry Spencer
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