Abstract
The effects of peripheral propulsive decelerator jets on the deceleration performance of Mars entry aeroshells are examined using computational fluid dynamics. The study considers a 70 deg blunt-cone aeroshell with four peripheral jets in Mach 12 flow of iodine-seeded nitrogen gas. Sonic and supersonic peripheral decelerator jets are considered in this study. The results show that the peripheral jets increase the standoff distance and change the profile of the bow shock around the aeroshell. The results also show that decelerator jets obstruct the flow around the aeroshell, which creates a low-pressure region on the surface behind the jets. The level of obstruction increases with thrust, which expands the low-pressure region. As a result, the aerodynamic drag coefficient of the aeroshell is inversely proportional to the thrust. The jet Mach number, however, has a small effect on the deceleration performance, with a maximum difference of less than 2% in the axial force between sonic and supersonic peripheral jets. The study also compares the deceleration performance of peripheral jets to previously published results for central jets. The results show that the peripheral jets provide three to seven times more drag than central jets due to higher surface pressures.
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