PERFORMANCE METHODS FOR MULTI-BODY SEPARATION

MILITARY SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS ARE IN PROGRESS WHICH INVOLVE THE SEPARATION OF ONE VEHICLE FROM ANOTHER IN AREAS WHERE AERODYNAMIC FORCES MAY HAVE IMPORTANT EFFECTS. THESE EFFORTS INCLUDE ADVANCED MILITARY SPACECRAFT CAPABILITY AND ADVANCED AEROCONFIGURED MISSILES. SAFE SEPARATION OF THE VEHICLES IN THE FIRST FEW SECONDS OF FLIGHT IS ESSENTIAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE CONCEPTS AND YET THE CRITERIA WHICH DETERMINE A SAFE SEPARATION IS NOT WELL ESTABLISHED. EXISTING SEPARATION DYNAMICS COMPUTER PROGRAMS, WHEN USED ON A PARTICULAR CONCEPT, CONTAIN VARIATIONS IN THE ASSUMPTIONS USED. THIS EFFORT WILL DEVELOP A GENERALIZED TWO BODY SEPARATION COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT CAN BE USED TO SIMULATE THE FLIGHT PATHS OF VARIOUS CONCEPTS ON A COMMON GROUND CONSISTENT WITH EXISTING AFWAL SINGLE BODY SIX-DEGREE-OF-FREEDOM (SDF) COMPUTER CODE. THIS EFFORT WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN COMPUTATIONAL PERFORMANCE METHODOLOGY AND IN COMPUTER GRAPHICS TECHNIQUES INCLUDING COLOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY.