A Survey of Supersonic Retropropulsion Technology for Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing

Abstract

This paper presents a literature survey on supersonic retropropulsion technology as it applies to Mars entry, descent, and landing (EDL). The relevance of this technology to the feasibility of Mars EDL is shown to increase with ballistic coefficient to the point that it is likely required for human Mars exploration. The use of retropropulsion to decelerate an entry vehicle from hypersonic or supersonic conditions to a subsonic velocity is the primary focus of this review. Discussed are systems-level studies, general flowfield characteristics, static aerodynamics, vehicle and flowfield stability considerations, and aerothermodynamics. The experimental and computational approaches used to develop retropropulsion technology are also reviewed. Finally, the applicability and limitations of the existing literature and current state-of-the- art computational tools to future missions are discussed in the context of human and robotic Mars exploration.