Sixty years of launch vehicle acoustics

Abstract

On 4th October 1957 at 7.28pm, the first artificial low Earth orbit satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union. Its launch ushered in a host of new scientific and technological developments, and public reaction in the USA led to the so-called 'Sputnik Crisis', and the subsequent creation of NASA. A race ensued between the USA and the Soviet Union to launch satellites using carrier rockets. At this time, very little was known about the acoustics of rocket launches, and even less about acoustic suppression. Thus, in the vicinity of the rocket, acoustic levels could reach up to 200dB during lift-off. Such extremely high fluctuating acoustic loads were a principal source of structural vibration and this vibroacoustic interaction critically affected correct operation of the rocket launch vehicle and its environs, including the vehicle components and supporting structures. It soon became clear that substantial savings in unexpected repairs, operating costs and system failures could be realized by even relatively small reductions in the rocket launch noise level, and a new discipline was born. This paper presents a review of the first sixty years of launch vehicle acoustics.