Thermal Optimum Trajectory Design of Manned Reentry Vehicles using the Aerodynamic Database Management Method

Abstract

In this study, a method for designing a thermal optimum reentry path based on aerodynamic database management has been developed using the Kriging and Co-Kriging methods. For the design of the reentry path in the conceptual design phase, the more precise the dynamical model of the reentry vehicle, the closer the path is to reality. One of the issues affecting the accuracy of the dynamic model of return vehicle is the aerodynamic coefficients in its flight envelope. For this purpose, in the present study using the new method, accurate aerodynamic data has been developed by combining the data from different solvers in the device flight envelope at the appropriate time. In the following, using the dynamic model and the developed reentry path design algorithm, the thermal optimal return path of the Orion device with constant coefficients and the exact aerodynamic database are compared, and the important parameters of reentry path, such as thermal flux and final velocity, are evaluated.

Keywords

• reentry vehicle
• optimum reentry path design
• aerodynamic database
• kriging and co-kriging