Design and Dynamic Analysis for Vertical and Horizontal Cylindrical Body in Reentry Flight

Abstract

To create drag and reduce the speed of space payloads in the phase of entering the atmosphere, the payload body itself can be used as brake mechanisms without using additional tools. The approach analyzed in this paper is the separation of the nose and then the stability of the cylindrical body in horizontal or vertical mode. First, by numerical solution, the cylindrical body is aerodynamically simulated in the flight conditions entering the atmosphere, and the location of the center of mass is designed to achieve static stability. Then, by developing the equations of motion of atmospheric reentry using aerodynamic coefficients and derivatives calculated by DATCOM, the flight parameters for both modes are compared and evaluated. The simulation results show that the horizontal flight is more efficient and is able to create better conditions for opening the parachute and landing. Another advantage of atmospheric reentry flight in horizontal mode is the proper distribution of aerodynamic heating and reduction of heat load in certain points of the payload.

Keywords

• reentry flight
• space capsule
• cylindrical body
• static and dynamic stability