Session
Session 9: Science/Mission Payloads 2
Abstract
Even with over 50 years of flying to and returning from Earth orbit, scientists and engineers still lack sufficient data to validate chemical reaction rate models for nonequilibrium reentry flows. This leads to increased mission weight and cost due to the need for more substantial thermal protection system margins. Reaction rates are more accurately determined with flight data than with ground-based testing due to the difficulties in reproducing high enthalpy, low-density flows on the ground. Of the handful of missions that have attempted to gather the necessary information, none have successfully provided science-grade data for a non-ablative vehicle at orbital velocities. Deorbiting CubeSats are ideally suited to collect the uncontaminated reentry data needed to validate atmospheric reentry models. A student team at Purdue University, as part of the Student Aerothermal Spectrometer of Illinois and Indiana (SASSI2) project, has developed a CubeSat sensor platform to take advantage of the natural reentry experienced by all CubeSats. The sensor platform will measure bulk flow properties as well as ambient conditions. Once combined with chemical species information from onboard spectrometers, this data will enable scientists and engineers to determine the chemical reaction rates needed to validate their models.
Presentation
CubeSat Sensor Platform for Reentry Aerothermodynamics
Even with over 50 years of flying to and returning from Earth orbit, scientists and engineers still lack sufficient data to validate chemical reaction rate models for nonequilibrium reentry flows. This leads to increased mission weight and cost due to the need for more substantial thermal protection system margins. Reaction rates are more accurately determined with flight data than with ground-based testing due to the difficulties in reproducing high enthalpy, low-density flows on the ground. Of the handful of missions that have attempted to gather the necessary information, none have successfully provided science-grade data for a non-ablative vehicle at orbital velocities. Deorbiting CubeSats are ideally suited to collect the uncontaminated reentry data needed to validate atmospheric reentry models. A student team at Purdue University, as part of the Student Aerothermal Spectrometer of Illinois and Indiana (SASSI2) project, has developed a CubeSat sensor platform to take advantage of the natural reentry experienced by all CubeSats. The sensor platform will measure bulk flow properties as well as ambient conditions. Once combined with chemical species information from onboard spectrometers, this data will enable scientists and engineers to determine the chemical reaction rates needed to validate their models.
