Aerocapture Technology Development Overview
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Aerocapture Technology Development Overview Michelle M. Munk Mail Stop 494 NASA-Langley Research Center Hampton, VA 23681 757-864-2314 [email protected] Steven A. Moon Gray Research, Inc. Huntsville, AL 35806 256-922-9952 [email protected] Abstract—This paper will explain the investment strategy, ISPT portfolio is Aerocapture, which is the process of using the role of detailed systems analysis, and the hardware and a body’s atmosphere to slow an incoming spacecraft and modeling developments that have resulted from the past 5 place it into a useful science orbit (Fig. 1). years of work under NASA’s In-Space Propulsion Program (ISPT) Aerocapture investment area. The organizations that Entry targeting burn have been funded by ISPT over that time period received Atmospheric entry awards from a 2002 NASA Research Announcement. They are: Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Applied Research Energy Associates, Inc., Ball Aerospace, NASA’s Ames Research dissipation Center, and NASA’s Langley Research Center. Their Periapsis accomplishments include improved understanding of entry raise aerothermal environments, particularly at Titan, maneuver demonstration of aerocapture guidance algorithm robustness (propulsive Target orbit at multiple bodies, manufacture and test of a 2-meter Carbon-Carbon “hot structure,” development and test of Controlled exit evolutionary, high-temperature structural systems with efficient ablative materials, and development of aerothermal Jettison Aeroshell sensors that will fly on the Mars Science Laboratory in 2009. Due in large part to this sustained ISPT support for Figure 1 - Aerocapture Maneuver Aerocapture, the technology is ready to be validated in Aerocapture differs from aerobraking, a flight-proven flight. 12 technique, in that the final orbit is established after only one TABLE OF CONTENTS atmospheric pass, compared to hundreds. Aerocapture can 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................... 1 save hundreds of kilograms of propellant compared to 2. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY ................................... 2 traditional orbit capture methods, allowing the vehicle to 3. TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS ..................................... 3 carry more science payload, to be injected using a smaller 4. FLIGHT VALIDATION STATUS ............................... 6 launch vehicle, or to inject at a higher energy and reach its 5. CONCLUSIONS........................................................ 7 destination faster. Aerocapture can be used at the eight REFERENCES .............................................................. 7 destinations in the Solar System that have significant BIOGRAPHY ................................................................ 7 atmospheres, and the maneuver is either enabling or enhancing for almost all scientifically robust missions to these bodies [1]. For example, at Saturn’s moon Titan, the scientific community desires both the long-term mapping 1. INTRODUCTION capability of an orbiter and the in-depth surface knowledge that comes from a probe and/or aerobot, as illustrated by Since 2001, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) several studies over the past decade of a “Titan Explorer” has been investing in technologies that can decrease the mission. Only by using aerocapture for the orbiter can both mass, cost, and trip times associated with planetary science of these important scientific objectives be met in a single missions, through the In-Space Propulsion Technology launch from Earth, constituting a viable Flagship-class (ISPT) Program. A high-priority technology within the NASA mission. 1 U.S. Government work not protected by U.S. copyright. 2 IEEEAC paper #1447, Version 3, Updated December 16, 2007 1 2. DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY use at any destination in the Solar System. Advances in modeling tools and methods were another significant The ISPT Program’s charter is to develop propulsion product of these studies, and these advances are in use today technologies from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 on other NASA flight programs and projects, such as Orion through TRL 6. ISPT is not a basic research program, nor and the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). does it build flight hardware for science mission implementation. A technology is “finished” when it is Technology Assessment Group (TAG) Meetings—Another adopted for use, or infused, on a NASA science mission. important part of developing a technology maturation The term “ready for infusion” is often used; however, such strategy is assessing the state-of-the-art (SOA). Roughly an assessment is subjective and is dependent on the degree annually, each ISPT technology area conducts a meeting to which the technology enables the mission, as well as the with the experts in its community. The purpose of these mission’s risk posture. As a result, the first step in the gatherings is to assess the SOA in the various disciplines or technology development process is to understand the product lines within the technology, to identify performance customers (i.e., the upcoming science missions), their gaps between the SOA and the required capability for the requirements, and their risk tolerance. In some cases, this is target missions, and to devise plans for filling those gaps. difficult because the missions are openly competed (such as Within Aerocapture, four such Technology Assessment Mars Scout, Discovery, or New Frontiers) and are not well- Group or TAG meetings have been held, in 2002, 2004, defined in advance. The SMD Roadmap, the Decadal 2005, and 2007. The last two TAGs have been held in Survey, and other guiding documents can be used to identify conjunction with the Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force targets and general mission classes, so that the technology (JANNAF) Propulsion Meeting, which is on an 18-month performance requirements can be defined. For instance, if schedule. The objectives of the TAG meetings have Titan is a key target of interest and the scientific objectives changed over the years, as the SOA and the gaps for rigid, involve long-term mapping, we know that an orbiter would blunt-body aerocapture have become well-known in the be a key element of the mission, even though the exact community and have not changed significantly over a 1- or mapping orbit may not be defined. We can also deduce 2-year timeframe. The Aerocapture area maintains a list of (though not easily) that an orbiter mission to Titan might gaps that have been identified by previous TAGs, and funds appear in the Flagship mission class, and that the risk tasks to address those as the budget allows. Over the time tolerance would be quite low on such a once-per-decade, period from 2003 to 2006, however, only a very small multi-billion-dollar endeavor. funding wedge was available for funding new tasks; most of the budget was allocated to the ongoing tasks, obtained as Systems Analyses—After identifying candidate missions, described below in subsection C. Recently, the TAG ISPT invests significantly in systems analyses, which can meeting has been more focused on communicating to the range from engineering-level benefit analyses to detailed community what has been accomplished, and getting systems definitions. These studies are invaluable for the feedback on what additional risk reduction work can be purposes of guiding the technology investments to get the done to actually make the subsystems acceptable for use on most benefit from limited funding. Within the Aerocapture real scientific missions. The exception is in the area of area, systems studies for aerocaptured orbiters at Titan, inflatable decelerators, which are still new enough that Neptune, Venus, and Mars were completed between 2002 maturation plans are not fully developed, and each and 2006 [2-5]. These studies were conducted by a multi- accomplished task significantly advances the SOA. Center NASA team consisting of experts in the component Aerocapture disciplines: aerodynamics, aerothermodynam- Solicitations and Awards—As part of SMD, most of the work ics, atmospheric modeling, guidance, navigation and sponsored by the ISPT Program is selected through open control, flight dynamics, structures, thermal protection competition among U. S. industry, academia, and government systems, and packaging and integration. In the cases of entities, including NASA organizations. At the point of the first Titan and Neptune, these studies were peer-reviewed by an NRA release in 2002 (called “Cycle 1”), Titan and Neptune independent panel of experts. The NASA Technical aerocapture were the reference missions to which proposers Memoranda and published papers that document these were asked to work. These were chosen as the bounding cases efforts reflect a significant step forward in maturing in terms of aerothermal loads and guidance challenges. In that Aerocapture for SMD, as almost all previous work had competition, advances in efficient aeroshell structures and focused on performing the maneuver at either Mars or thermal protection systems were sought, as well as entry system Earth. The studies were critical to establishing aerocapture instrumentation, and the use of lower-TRL trailing ballutes. feasibility at the new destinations. The analytical Six awards totaling $5-$8 M per year resulted from that first aerocapture guidance algorithm’s robustness was proven in NRA; all but one of the tasks were completed in 2006 or early 4-degree-of-freedom Monte Carlo simulations that included 2007. Overall, this set of tasks was funded at required levels conservative uncertainties in initial state, vehicle