Angle of Attack Modulation for Mars Entry Terminal State Optimization
Author(s)
Lafleur, Jarret M.
Cerimele, Chris J.
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Abstract
From the perspective of atmospheric entry, descent, and landing (EDL), one of the most
foreboding destinations in the solar system is Mars due in part to its exceedingly thin
atmosphere. To benchmark best possible scenarios for evaluation of potential Mars EDL
system designs, a study is conducted to optimize the entry-to-terminal-state portion of EDL
for a variety of entry velocities and vehicle masses, focusing on the identification of potential
benefits of enabling angle of attack modulation. The terminal state is envisioned as one
appropriate for the initiation of terminal descent via parachute or other means. A particle
swarm optimizer varies entry flight path angle, ten bank profile points, and ten angle of
attack profile points to find maximum-final-altitude trajectories for a 10 x 30 m ellipsled at
180 different combinations of values for entry mass, entry velocity, terminal Mach number,
and minimum allowable altitude. Parametric plots of maximum achievable altitude are
shown, as are examples of optimized trajectories. It is shown that appreciable terminal state
altitude gains (2.5-4.0 km) over pure bank angle control may be possible if angle of attack
modulation is enabled for Mars entry vehicles. Gains of this magnitude could prove to be
enabling for missions requiring high-altitude landing sites. Conclusions are also drawn
regarding trends in the bank and angle of attack profiles that produce the optimal
trajectories in this study, and directions for future work are identified.
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Date
2009-08
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Text
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