Aerodynamic analysis of a Mars exploration manned capsule

作者：Pezzella Giuseppe^*; Viviani Antonio

来源：Acta Astronautica, 2011, 69(11-12): 975-986.

DOI：10.1016/j.actaastro.2011.06.020

• Atmospheric planetary entry
• Non-equilibrium hypersonic flow
• Capsule-type vehicle aerodynamics
• Planetary exploration

The paper deals with the aerodynamic analysis of a manned braking system entering the Mars atmosphere, with the aim to support planetary entry system design studies. The capsule configuration is an axisymmetric blunt body close to the Apollo capsule. Several fully three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics analyses have been performed to assess the flowfield environment around the vehicle to address the aerodynamic performance of the entry capsule within mission exploration to Mars. To this end, a wide range of flow conditions including reacting and non-reacting flow, different angles of attack, and Mach numbers have been investigated and compared. Moreover, non-equilibrium effects on the flowfield around the capsule have been also investigated. Results show that real-gas effects, for all the angles of attach considered, increase both the aerodynamic drag and pitching moment, whereas the lift is only slighted affected. Finally, comparison of the results highlights that experimental and CFD aerodynamic findings available for the Apollo capsule in air adequately represent the static coefficients of the capsule in the Mars atmosphere.

• 出版日期2011-12