Aero- and Thermodynamic Analysis of Shefex I

Abstract

The SHarp Edge Flight EXperiment of DLR has been established to demonstrate the feasibility of space vehicles with facetted Thermal Protection System by keeping or improving aerodynamic properties. The TPS consists of simple flat panels with sharp edges and without any constrains in the system compatibility and reliability of space vehicles. This study presents an aero- thermodynamic analysis of the flight of SHEFEX I. To compare the numerical with the experimental data Navier-Stokes calculations have been performed using the flow solver TAU of the DLR. Major effects like influence of sideslip, differences between 2D and 3D simulations, impact of ablation, and so on are analysed to understand the potential source of errors in numerical modelling and their impact on the results. The calculations (pressure and heat flux distributions) for selected altitudes of the re-entry offer a good agreement compared with experimental data.