Organizational Unit:
Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL)

Permanent Link
https://hdl.handle.net/1853/70744
Research Organization Registry ID
Description
Previous Names
Parent Organization
Parent Organization
Includes Organization(s)
ArchiveSpace Name Record
https://finding-aids.library.gatech.edu/agents/corporate_entities/1135

Filters

2005 - 2006 2
2
2
2
2
Reset filters

Settings
Author: Braun, Robert D. × Author: Lafleur, Jarret M. × search.filters.applied.f.isOrgUnitOfPublicationTitle: Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) × search.filters.applied.f.isOrgUnitOfPublicationTitle: College of Engineering ×

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Item

Entry Descent and Landing Challenges of Human Mars Exploration

2006-02 , Wells, Grant William , Lafleur, Jarret M. , Verges, Amanda , Manyapu, Kavya , Christian, John A., III , Lewis, Charity , Braun, Robert D.

Near-term capabilities for robotic spacecraft include a target of landing 1 - 2 metric ton payloads with a precision of about 10 kilometers, at moderate altitude landing sites (as high as +2 km MOLA). While challenging, these capabilities are modest in comparison to the requirements for landing human crews on Mars. Human Mars exploration studies imply the capability to safely land 40 - 80 metric ton payloads with a precision of tens of meters, possibly at even higher altitudes. New entry, descent and landing challenges imposed by the large mass requirements of human Mars exploration include: (1) the potential need for aerocapture prior to entry, descent and landing and associated thermal protection strategies, (2) large aeroshell diameter requirements, (3) severe mass fraction restrictions, (4) rapid transition from the hypersonic entry mode to a descent and landing configuration, (5) the need for supersonic propulsion initiation, and (6) increased system reliability. This investigation explores the potential of extending robotic entry, descent and landing architectures to human missions and highlights the challenges of landing large payloads on the surface of Mars.

View
Thumbnail Image
Item

Daedalon: A Revolutionary Morphing Spacecraft Design for Planetary Exploration

2005-01 , Lafleur, Jarret M. , Olds, John R. , Braun, Robert D.

The product of a study sponsored by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC), Daedalon is a spacecraft design baselined for Mars which utilizes morphing wing technology to achieve the design objective of a standard, flexible architecture for unmanned planetary exploration. This design encompasses a detailed vehicle mass and power sizing study for the Daedalon lander as well as its cruise stage and entry backshell. A cost estimation and comparison study is also performed, and qualitative functionality comparisons are made between Daedalon and other Mars lander and airplane designs. Quantitative comparisons of gross mass and range are also made, including the results of scaling an existing Mars aerial vehicle design to match Daedalon functionality. Altogether, the Daedalon launch mass is found to be 896 kg for a 12 kg payload capacity. If five such vehicles are produced, it is found that the per-mission cost can be as low as $224 million. Given the necessary morphing wing technology development, it is concluded that the Daedalon design may be a feasible and cost-effective approach to planetary exploration 20-40 years in the future.

View