Aerobrake aerothermodynamics

The status of aerothermodynamics research applicable to aerobrake and aeroassist vehicles is summarized. Techniques that use aerodynamic forces instead of retropropulsion to decelerate vehicles for orbit changes at Mars and upon return to earth from either the moon or Mars can reduce the initial mass required in LEO by as much as 60 percent, thus reducing the number and size of earth-to-orbit launch vehicles. However, several critical technologies must be developed in order to design aerobrakes that can withstand the aerodynamic forces and heating to which the entry vehicles will be subjected. Among these is aerothermodynamics. The ultimate goal is to develop and validate codes that can, by predicting aerobrake thermal environments, be used to select and size the thermal protection and supporting structures.