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Development of Thermal Protection Materials for Future Mars Entry, Descent and Landing SystemsEntry Systems will play a crucial role as NASA develops the technologies required for Human Mars Exploration. The Exploration Technology Development Program Office established the Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) Technology Development Project to develop Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials for insertion into future Mars Entry Systems. An assessment of current entry system technologies identified significant opportunity to improve the current state of the art in thermal protection materials in order to enable landing of heavy mass (40 mT) payloads. To accomplish this goal, the EDL Project has outlined a framework to define, develop and model the thermal protection system material concepts required to allow for the human exploration of Mars via aerocapture followed by entry. Two primary classes of ablative materials are being developed: rigid and flexible. The rigid ablatives will be applied to the acreage of a 10x30 m rigid mid L/D Aeroshell to endure the dual pulse heating (peak approx.500 W/sq cm). Likewise, flexible ablative materials are being developed for 20-30 m diameter deployable aerodynamic decelerator entry systems that could endure dual pulse heating (peak aprrox.120 W/sq cm). A technology Roadmap is presented that will be used for facilitating the maturation of both the rigid and flexible ablative materials through application of decision metrics (requirements, key performance parameters, TRL definitions, and evaluation criteria) used to assess and advance the various candidate TPS material technologies.
Document ID
20100036781
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Cassell, Alan M. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Beck, Robin A. S. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Arnold, James O. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Hwang, Helen (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Wright, Michael J. (NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Szalai, Christine E. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Blosser, Max (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Poteet, Carl C. (NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
June 30, 2010
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
ARC-E-DAA-TN1676
Meeting Information
Meeting: 10th AIAA/ASME Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference
Location: Chicago, IL
Country: United States
Start Date: June 28, 2010
End Date: July 1, 2010
Sponsors: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNA04BC25C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS2-03144
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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