Evaluation of Materials in Entry Heating Simulation

The basic objective in designing thermal protection systems is the provision of sufficient material to protect the vehicle structure and cargo from the severe heating encountered during entry into a planetary atmosphere. Conservative designs that may compromise the mission objective should be avoided. Ideally just enough material to ensure successful entry should be provided. The degree of success that is achieved by adhering to this philosophy is entirely dependent upon our knowledge of the entry environment and the manner in which the various materials respond to the environment.