Commissioning of Upgrades to T6 to Study Giant Planet Entry

Abstract

The scientific potential of a mission to the ice giants is well recognized and has been identified by NASA and ESA as a high priority on several occasions, most recently in the 2023–2032 Decadal Survey. The payload capacity of such a spacecraft is limited by the heat shield thickness, which must be sized conservatively due to a lack of reliable data for convective and radiative heat flux along the proposed entry trajectories. Major upgrades to the Oxford T6 Stalker Tunnel have been commissioned that allow study of giant planet entry trajectories, including a flammable gas handling system, a Mach 10 expansion nozzle, and a steel shock tube with optical access. Initial testing has been completed in shock tube and expansion tunnel modes, with peak shock speeds of 18.9 km/s achieved. Convective heat flux and surface pressure were measured at several locations on a 45° sphere cone model in expansion tunnel mode. Measurements of the radiating shock layer were made in shock tube mode to assess the effect of CH4 concentration. This work establishes the first high-enthalpy giant planet entry test bed in Europe.