The Aeroassist Flight Experiment

The key design drivers for the Aeroassist Flight Experiment are discussed and a description is given of the flight test vehicle, its flight conditions, and instrumentation. The aeroassisted orbital transfer vehicle (AOTV) operates at higher velocities than the Space Shuttle and at higher altitudes than Apollo. Issues such as the effect of shock-layer nonequilibrium on the levels of radiative and convective heating and of viscous and real-gas effects on vehicle aerodynamic characteristics are mentioned.