THE OVERALL GOAL OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS TO MAXIMIZE THE UTILITY AND PRODUCTIVITY OF A NEW EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY AT LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY (LLNL) THAT USES A FREE-JET FOR THE STUDY OF HYPERSONIC FLOW AND MATERIAL RESPONSE PHENOMENA. THIS GOAL WILL BE PURSED THROUGH MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES. FIRST, A MAPPING WILL BE DEVELOPED BETWEEN THE FLOW PHENOMENA GENERATED IN THE LLNL LOW ENTHALPY TEST FACILITY WITH THOSE GENERATED IN TRUE HYPERSONIC FLIGHT UNDER THE SAME MACH NUMBER AND PRESSURE-BASED ALTITUDE CONDITIONS. SECOND, A DETAILED PICTURE WILL BE GENERATED OF THE GAS FLOW FORMED THROUGH INTERACTION OF THE HYPERSONIC FREE-JET WITH A TEST ARTICLE SUCH AS A MATERIAL COUPON. SUCH FLOW FIELD INFORMATION INCLUDES THE DENSITIES OF INDIVIDUAL CHEMICAL SPECIES, THE THERMAL STATES OF THE VARIOUS ENERGY MODES, AND THE VELOCITY FIELD. THESE PROPERTIES ARE CRITICAL TO UNDERSTAND FOR EFFECTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF FLOW DIAGNOSTICS SUCH AS SCHLIEREN IMAGING, LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE, EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY, AND VELOCIMETRY. THIRD, THE TRANSIENT HEAT FLOW INTO A TEST ARTICLE PLACED IN THE HYPERSONIC FREE-JET WILL BE QUANTIFIED ACCOUNTING FOR CONVECTIVE HEATING FROM THE HYPERSONIC FLOW, RE-RADIATION OF HEAT FROM THE SURFACE, ABLATION, AND THERMAL CONDUCTION INTO THE MATERIAL. IN ADDITION, THE HEATING PHENOMENA PRODUCED IN THE TEST FACILITY THROUGH LASER IRRADIANCE WILL BE COMPARED WITH THAT PRODUCED UNDER CORRESPONDING TRUE HYPERSONIC FLOW CONDITIONS THROUGH CONVECTIVE HEATING FROM THE HOT GAS. SIMILARLY, THE ABLATION PHENOMENA PRODUCED IN THE FACILITY THROUGH LASER ABLATION WILL BE COMPARED WITH THAT PRODUCED UNDER TRUE HYPERSONIC FLOW CONDITIONS THROUGH CHEMICAL ABLATION PROCESSES SUCH AS OXIDATION.