Aerodynamics of space station “Mir” during aeroassisted controlled descent

Abstract

Future descent of space station “Mir” requires the choice of an optimal configuration (positions of solar arrays) which allows one to minimize the disturbing aerodynamic torques and maximize the drag. The aerodynamic characteristics of two configurations with required positions of solar arrays are studied by engineering and statistical methods along the descent trajectory. The study showed that a decrease in the flight altitude from 200 to 130 km does not exert a noticeable effect on the magnitude of the force and moment coefficients and also revealed the reasons decreasing the accuracy of the engineering prediction.