HIGH VELOCITY FLOWS EXPERIENCED DURING PLANETARY REENTRY POSE DIFFICULT CHALLENGES TO BOTH HUMAN AND ROBOTIC SPACEFLIGHT. THE THERMAL ENVIRONMENT EXPERIENCED IN REENTRY IS AS DANGEROUS AS IT IS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT AND ANALYZE. FURTHERMORE ANALYSIS CHALLENGES SUCH AS FLOWS INVOLVING PARTICLES LIKE DUST AND SPALLED THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEM (TPS) MATERIAL LEAD TO FURTHER UNCERTAINTIES IN VEHICLE PERFORMANCE DURING THE ENTRY DESCENT AND LANDING (EDL) PHASE OF MISSIONS REQUIRING THE USE OF GENEROUS DESIGN MARGINS IN TPS THICKNESSES. THESE PARTICULATE-LADEN FLOWS CAN BE EXPERIENCED IN A NUMBER OF MISSION SCENARIOS SUCH AS ENTRY INTO MARS DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER A GLOBAL DUST STORM OR ENTRY INTO EARTH AT HIGH VELOCITIES EXPERIENCED IN LUNAR OR MARS RETURN TRAJECTORIES WHERE SPALLATION OF THE TPS MATERIAL CAN OCCUR.

University Of Missouri System, Columbia MO

Investigators