“The Entry Systems Modeling technology development project helps mature aerosciences and materials products for entry, descent and landing technologies.”
During any planetary entry, the entry vehicle is exposed to an extreme heating environment. The ESM project is exploring and developing new approaches to accurately predict the spacecraft entry environment and to simulate the response of the thermal protection system to that environment. These predictions are made using complex codes that are extensively validated against test data. As computer codes improve, uncertainty in predictions is reduced, which translates to reduced system mass and/or higher reliability (lower risk).
As the reentry vehicle slows, aerodynamic forces buffet the vehicle and create a highly unsteady and dynamic environment. Predicting the behavior of the spacecraft is critical to understanding its stability and the performance of deceleration systems such as parachutes or supersonic retro-propulsion.
Principal Technologist: | Program Manager: |
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Michelle Munk (michelle.m.munk@nasa.gov) | Mike Wright (michael.j.wright@nasa.gov) |
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