MESUR probe aerobrake preliminary design studyAerobrake design for the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) vehicles is considered which is intended for both a nominal entry velocity of 7 km/sec and a high-speed case of 9 km/sec. Topics discussed include the entry environment, the thermal protection requirements for several types of heat shield materials, the structural design of the aeroshell, and the total aerobrake masses and mass fractions. For the nominal 7 km/sec entry, a silicone elastometric charring ablator, SLA-561, was found to be the lightest heat shield material. For the 7 km/sec entry, the mass fraction of the aerobrake was 13.2 percent. For the 9 km/sec entry, the heat shield consisted of the medium-density ablator AVCOAT-5026; SLA-561 was used on part of the conical skirt. The aerobrake mass fraction in this case was 18 percent. It is recommended that separate aerobrakes be designed for probes entering at 7 and 9 km/sec.
Document ID
19920065292
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tauber, M. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Henline, W. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Chargin, M. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Papadopoulos, P. (Stanford University CA, United States)
Chen, Y. (Eloret Institute Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Yang, L. (Sterling Software, Inc. Palo Alto, CA, United States)
Hamm, K. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)