Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamics Decelerators for Use on Future Robotic Missions To Mars
Author(s)
Clark, Ian G.
Hutchings, Allison L.
Tanner, Christopher L.
Braun, Robert D.
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Abstract
The 2009 Mars Science Laboratory mission is
being designed to place an 850 kg rover on the surface of
Mars at an altitude of at least one kilometer [1]. This is
being accomplished using the largest aeroshell and
supersonic parachute ever flown on a Mars mission. Future
missions seeking to place more massive payloads on the
surface will be constrained by aeroshell size and deployment
limitations of supersonic parachutes [2],[3]. Inflatable
aerodynamic decelerators (IADs) represent a technology
path that can relax those constraints and provide a sizeable
increase in landed mass. This mass increase results from
improved aerodynamic characteristics that allow IADs to be
deployed at higher Mach numbers and dynamic pressures
than can be achieved by current supersonic parachute
technology.
During the late 1960’s and early 1970’s preliminary
development work on IADs was performed. This included
initial theoretical shape and structural analysis for a variety
of configurations as well as wind tunnel and atmospheric
flight tests for a particular configuration, the Attached
Inflatable Decelerator (AID). More recently, the Program to
Advance Inflatable Decelerators for Atmospheric Entry
(PAI-DAE) has been working to mature a second
configuration, the supersonic tension cone decelerator, for
use during atmospheric entry. 1,2
This paper presents an analysis of the potential advantages
of using a supersonic IAD on a proposed 2016 Mars
mission. Conclusions drawn are applicable to both the
Astrobiology Field Laboratory and Mars Sample Return
mission concepts. Two IAD configurations, the AID and
tension cone, are sized and traded against their system-level
performance impact. Analysis includes preliminary
aerodynamic drag estimates for the different configurations,
trajectory advantages provided by the IADs, and preliminary
geometric and mass estimates for the IAD subsystems. Entry
systems utilizing IADs are compared against a traditional
parachute system as well as a system employing an IAD in
the supersonic regime and a parachute in the subsonic
regime. Key sensitivities in IAD design are included to
highlight areas of importance in future technology
development programs.
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Date
2008-03
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