Aero-thermodynamic analysis of space shuttle vehicle at re-entry

Abstract

Since the last two decades, aerospace agencies around the world have started planning Space-based Solar Power Systems (SSPS) as an alternative power source [1]–[9]. The use of Space Shuttle Orbiter type re-usable launch vehicles will enable the completion of this project in a limited time span with economic feasibility. This would leave less time between successive launches, making it imperative that the aero-thermodynamic analysis of these vehicles be fast and accurate. Currently, aero-thermodynamic analysis is done by high fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solvers which are accurate but take significantly more time to give necessary results. Therefore, the present CFD solvers might not be useful tools for this mission to be completed in limited time. In this work a low cost, quick and reasonably accurate model is developed when compared with the CFD results [10]. Pressure coefficients and surface temperatures from this code are compared with results from the CFD solver of ‘Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson’ [10]. The model developed in this work is based on hypersonic theories which meet the requirements of this mission.