Earth Reentry Tool for Preliminary Mission Analysis

Abstract

The preparation of atmospheric Earth reentry vehicles requires the estimation of heat and mechanical loads along the trajectory, as well as the impact point. A dedicated tool for axial symmetric capsules is prepared for trajectory propagation, providing relevant data for the thermal protection system sizing, such as the heat flux in the stagnation point calculated with five different models. Translational dynamics only are considered for the moment. The aerodynamic drag is computed using the minimal input as Mach dependant curves. The Reynolds number influence is also included, since the flow regimes to compute the drag coefficient are derived from a preliminary reference trajectory. Automatic generation of quality plot files is included, as well as 3D plot objects for Matlab, for later usage.

Keywords

• planetary reentry dynamics
• Fay-Riddell
• reentry black box