After the end of the summer, our group project, which entailed an initial look at the feasibility of utilizing an SR-71 supersonic aircraft and expendable rockets to air-launch small payloads, gave all involved a better understanding of the technical requirements for employing such a launch system.
At that point the concept showed enough promise, as determined by the group, that some of the group members decided to work into the fall on a more detailed technical investigation of the system. Eric Anderson and I undertook to do this second feasibility study in the months following the Academy. We worked in our spare time (what little there was) while we were in school. Our paper (AIAA-2776) was accepted by the AIAA for presentation and was delivered at the Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit in July of 1996 in Buena Vista, Florida.
Our presentation at the conference generated a favorable response and we were encouraged to press ahead to find a way of making the concept a reality. Since that time we have been looking closely at the economic feasibility of our proposed system as well as using increasingly more detailed analytical models to refine our earlier studies. We have also been working closely with the SR-71 research team at NASA Dryden in an attempt to move the concept from paper to metal. There are still hurdles to overcome but the outlook is good. We are developing a commercially viable launch system that will successfully compete for the growing small satellite launch market! And it all started at NASA Academy.