Flyby Trajectory Analysis and Thermal Simulation of a Venus Atmospheric Probe
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Author(s)
Selvaratnam, Roshan
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Abstract
Cupid’s Arrow is a proposed interplanetary Venus mission aimed at sampling the
noble gases in its atmosphere. These inert elements can provide an insight into the history of
the planet’s formation and provide a reference for comparison with the Earth. The mission
is comprised of a mothership and an atmospheric sample collection probe. This study is
focused on the latter which will be deployed into Venus’ atmosphere and descend to an
altitude of 120 km. The thermal environment of the Venusian exosphere is the primary
driver of the probe design both in terms of its structure and material composition. The
mission architecture being considered for this study takes advantage of a gravity assist flyby
trajectory. The probe will be dropped off as a secondary payload en route to the spacecraft’s
primary destination. The entry conditions at Venus and the trajectory of the probe relative
to the mothership were determined using 2-body orbital mechanics. Using planar equations
of motion, the probe’s entry into Venus’ atmosphere was simulated to predict the thermal
environment that it would encounter. Initial results show a peak heat rate of approximately
220.3297 W/cm2
, a peak deceleration of 2.7654 Earth g’s and a total heat load of 15535 J/cm2
.
The results of the thermal environment model and relative trajectory analysis were used to
validate the baseline communications and TPS design. In addition to Venus, this mission
concept could be used to explore other planetary atmospheres, especially those frequented
by interplanetary flybys.
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Date
2017-12-01
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Text
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Masters Project
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