Atmospheric re-entry
Abstract
Atmospheric reentry and aero-assisted orbited transfer are discussed. The aerodynamic features of the range of atmospheric braking and maneuvering space vehicles are determined by the velocity-altitude regime of the atmospheric flight. A comparison of the flight regimes of several of the vehicles proposed for earth atmosphere encounters is presented. A typical entry altitude where the 'top' of the earth's atmosphere is encountered (about 150 km). The bulk of the trajectories for the Space Shuttle orbiter, Apollo reentry, ICBM, and AMOOS lie within the continuum flow regime. For AOTVs and plane change vehicles, a significant fraction of the atmospheric encounter occurs in a very energetic rarefied flow regime. Chemical nonequilibrium effects, radiative heat transfer, and air ionization are phenomena which have a major influence on AOTVs. Ballistic entry at large angles of descent, lifting entry, thermal protection systems, and the entry corridor are discussed.
- Publication:
-
Spacecraft Systems Engineering
- Pub Date:
- 1991
- Bibcode:
- 1991sse..book..175E
- Keywords:
-
- Aeroassist;
- Atmospheric Entry;
- Satellite Attitude Control;
- Spacecraft Maneuvers;
- Spacecraft Reentry;
- Transfer Orbits;
- Ballistic Trajectories;
- Radiative Heat Transfer;
- Spacecraft Trajectories;
- Astrodynamics