SBIR PHASE III, AERO-STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR PHASE III SBIR - AERO-STRU…

Public award description

SBIR PHASE III, AERO-STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR PHASE III SBIR - AERO-STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATOR - NASA IS CONDUCTING AN ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING SYSTEMS ANALYSIS (EDL-SA) STUDY TO DETERMINE THE KEY TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN FOR ENABLING THE LANDING OF LARGE PAYLOADS ON MARS FOR BOTH HUMAN AND ROBOTIC MISSIONS. INFLATABLE AERODYNAMIC DECELERATORS (IADS) ARE ONE OF THE CANDIDATE TECHNOLOGIES. A VARIETY OF EDL ARCHITECTURES ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION. TAKEN TOGETHER THESE ARCHITECTURES INCLUDE IADS FOR AEROCAPTURE (HYPERSONIC), AND FOR THE ENTRY (HYPERSONIC) AND THE DESCENT (SUPERSONIC AND SUBSONIC ) STAGES OF ENTRY, DESCENT, AND LANDING. MANY ASPECTS OF IADS NEED TO BE CONSIDERED, E.G., INFLATABILITY, HEATING, DEFORMATION, STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY, AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE, AND CONTROLLABILITY. FOR EACH STAGE THERE ARE RATHER CHALLENGING REQUIREMENTS. PART OF THE EDL-SA ASSESSMENT INCLUDES DETERMINING WHETHER THE CANDIDATE TECHNOLOGIES MEET THE REQUIREMENTS. AMONG THE IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS FOR IADS ARE WHETHER THEY PROVIDE THE DESIRED CONTROLLABILITY AND CAN WITHSTAND THE LOADS INDUCED BY BANKING MANEUVERS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT IS TO PROVIDE COMPUTATIONAL PREDICTIONS TO SUPPORT THE EDL-SA ASSESSMENTS OF IAD CONTROLLABILITY AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FOR MARS AEROCAPTURE AND EDL. THE FOLLOWING ABSTRACTIONS SHALL BE USED FOR THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL: (1) THE INFLATABLE BRAKING UNIT (IBU) CONSISTS OF PRESSURIZED INTERNAL TOROIDAL CELLS COVERED WITH A SMOOTH SURFACE CONTAINING THE THERMAL PROTECTIVE COVER (TPC); THE STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES ARE NONLINEAR; (2) THE RIGID FRONT SHELL (RFS) IS A RIGID METALLIC STRUCTURE; (3) THE PAYLOAD IS A CYLINDER THAT ATTACHES TO THE BACK PORTION OF THE RFS; THE PAYLOAD IS NOT MODELED (4) THE BANKING MANEUVER IS MODELED BY A PRESCRIBED ROTATIONAL MOTION OF THE RFS. (5) THE AERODYNAMICS ARE DESCRIBED BY THE EULER EQUATIONS; (6) THE FLOW FIELD AND THE STRUCTURAL RESPONSE EXHIBIT NO SYMMETRIES. THE COMPUTATION PREDICTIONS ARE INTENDED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS: FOR WHAT RANGE, IF ANY, OF INTERNAL PRESSURES DOES THE IBU MAINTAIN STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY DURING THE BANKING MANEUVER?