(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008-04-30)
Korzun, Ashley M.
As vehicle masses continue to increase for missions involving atmospheric entry,
supersonic deceleration is challenging the qualifications and capabilities of Viking-heritage
entry, descent, and landing (EDL) technology. At Mars, high entry masses and insufficient
atmospheric density often result in unacceptable parachute deployment and operating
conditions, requiring the exploration of alternative approaches to supersonic deceleration.
Supersonic retropropulsion, the initiation of a retropropulsion phase while the vehicle is still
traveling supersonically, may be an enabling technology for systems with high ballistic
coefficients operating in thin atmospheres such as at Mars. The relevance of this technology
to the feasibility of Mars EDL has been shown to increase with ballistic coefficient to the
point that it is likely required for human Mars exploration. In conjunction with a literature
review of supersonic retropropulsion technology as it applies to blunt body entry vehicles, a
systems study was performed to assess the impact of supersonic retropropulsion on high
mass Mars EDL. This investigation addresses the applicability, limitations, and
performance implications of supersonic retropropulsion technology in the context of future
human and robotic Mars exploration missions.