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Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Space Vehicles
Experiments And Simulations Of Liquid Mass Gauging And Slosh Dynamics In Microgravity, Jedediah Morse Storey
Experiments And Simulations Of Liquid Mass Gauging And Slosh Dynamics In Microgravity, Jedediah Morse Storey
Theses and Dissertations
Advancements in liquid propellant management science and technologies are key to increasing safety, decreasing cost, and increasing payload mass of space missions. Propellant usually comprises a large portion of the total mass of launch vehicles and spacecraft, so liquid propellant sensing, as well as predicting and controlling the motion of it, are important. Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is an emerging sensing technology that is capable of measuring the distribution of liquid anywhere inside of a tank, potentially making it useful for measuring slosh and gauging mass. An ECT-instrumented tank was successfully tested in microgravity for the first time. Basics of …
Computational Aerothermodynamic Analysis Of Satellite Trans-Atmospheric Skip Entry Survivability, John J. Runco
Computational Aerothermodynamic Analysis Of Satellite Trans-Atmospheric Skip Entry Survivability, John J. Runco
Theses and Dissertations
Computational aerothermodynamic analysis is presented for a spacecraft in low Earth orbit performing an atmospheric skip entry maneuver. Typically, atmospheric reentry is a terminal operation signaling mission end-of-life and, in some instances, executed for spacecraft disposal. A variation on reentry – skip entry – is an aeroassisted trans-atmospheric maneuver in which a spacecraft utilizes the effects of aerodynamic drag in order to reduce energy prior to a terminal entry, pinpoint a targeted entry, or change orbital elements such as inclination. Spacecraft performing a skip entry enable new modes of maneuver to enhance operations in nominal or possibly contested mission environments. …
Supersonic Retro-Propulsion Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Applied To Future Mars Mission, Margarita Nataly Brandt
Supersonic Retro-Propulsion Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Applied To Future Mars Mission, Margarita Nataly Brandt
Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses
Supersonic Retro-Propulsion is one of the most promising emerging technologies being considered by NASA for use in future Mars missions. This new form of Entry Descent Landing has the potential to help increase the allowable payload mass currently constraining many science instruments and operations. Computational Fluid Dynamics was used to show the feasibility of supersonic retro - propulsion in Mars atmospheric conditions. The results presented show the SRP will be able to perform satisfactory using the same conditions that the Curiosity Rover was exposed to during its landing sequence. The plume expansion was analyzed for various cases, moving from free …
Numerical Modeling Of The Cn Spectral Emission Of The Stardust Re-Entry Vehicle, Alexandre Martin, Erin D. Farbar, Iain D. Boyd
Numerical Modeling Of The Cn Spectral Emission Of The Stardust Re-Entry Vehicle, Alexandre Martin, Erin D. Farbar, Iain D. Boyd
Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications
Re-entry vehicles designed for space exploration are usually equipped with thermal protection systems made of ablative material. In order to properly model and predict the aerothermal environment of the vehicle, it is imperative to account for the gases produced by ablation processes. In the case of charring ablators, where an inner resin is pyrolyzed at a relatively low temperature, the composition of the gas expelled into the boundary layer is complex and may lead to thermal chemical reactions that cannot be captured with simple ow chemistry models. In order to obtain better predictions, an appropriate gas ow chemistry model needs …
Cfd Analysis Of Experimental Wing And Winglet For Falconlaunch 8 And The Exfit Program, Benjamin P. Switzer
Cfd Analysis Of Experimental Wing And Winglet For Falconlaunch 8 And The Exfit Program, Benjamin P. Switzer
Theses and Dissertations
Reusable launch vehicles have many benefits over their expendable counterparts. These benefits range from cost reductions to increased functionality of the vehicles. Further research is required in the development of the technology necessary for reusable launch vehicles to come to fruition. The Air Force Institute of Technology’s future involvement in the ExFIT program will entail designing and testing of a new wing tip mounted vertical stabilizer in the hypersonic regime. One proposed venue for experimentation is to utilize the United States Air Force Academy’s FalconLAUNCH Program which annually designs, builds, and launches a sounding rocket capable of reaching hypersonic speeds. …
A Cfd Investigation Of Axisymmetric Microthruster Nozzles For Use On Nano-Satellites, Michael R. O'Gara
A Cfd Investigation Of Axisymmetric Microthruster Nozzles For Use On Nano-Satellites, Michael R. O'Gara
Master's Theses - Daytona Beach
The performance of microthruster nozzles (^ 0.1 N thrust) depending on nozzle contour, propellant and surroundings, destined for use in nanosatellite missions, is investigated via a numerical approach using the Wind-US flow solver. An experimental apparatus designed to measure microthruster performance in atmospheric or vacuum conditions used to aid numerical simulations is also presented. Comparing the numerical and experimental results show an approximate 25% drop in efficiency for unknown reasons. An evaluation of favorable nozzle contours suggested by previous researchers is conducted, and the results demonstrate the need for a more rigorous treatment of the nozzle flow at the exit …