Reentry guidance and control for an Aeroassist Flight

An Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) is proposed to show how the use of an atmospheric braking device can reduce the perigee velocity of a vehicle upon its return from a mission to geosynchronous orbit. This braking device would be used to attain low earth orbit comparable with the STS Orbiter. The basic design of the AFE is presented and the guidance and control aspects of the design are discussed. The lifting-brake design selected for the AFE is a raked cone with a coefficient of drag of 1.5 and a lift to drag ratio of 0.3. The potential second flight of the AFE would have a ballute aerobraking device with a predictor/corrector guidance scheme. It is concluded that the approach described to implement the AFE is a feasible one and minimizes risk by having adequate margins wherever needed, by reducing error sources in sensitive areas, and by conducting an extensive simulation activity to verify the design.