The contents of this note fall into two sections. Part I considers
the possibilities and problems involved in using ramjets as a power source
for one of the stages of a satellite launching vehicle or similar project.
In comparing such a system with rocket powered vehicles, consideration is
given to both performance and mass of the various systems. Various trajectories
are considered. This work includes a reassessment of projects that have been
suggested elsewhere.
The second part examines the possibility of using forms of ramjet in
the atmosphere of other planets. Because there is insufficient knowledge
of these atmospheres, a study has been carried out to determine the approximate
performance of a chemical ramjet in atmospheres of Methane, Ammonia, Hydrogen
and Carbon Dioxide at Mach 3. The work in Part II is original, there being
no previously reported papers on the subject known.
These studies, which are necessarily based on several simplifying
assumptions, indicate that applications for these engines may be expected
to arise in astronautics, and that this is a fruitful field for further
studies
