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Impact of Vehicle Flexibility on IRVE-II Flight DynamicsThe Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment II (IRVE-II) successfully launched from Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) on August 17, 2009. The primary objectives of this flight test were to demonstrate inflation and re-entry survivability, assess the thermal and drag performance of the reentry vehicle, and to collect flight data for refining pre-flight design and analysis tools. Post-flight analysis including trajectory reconstruction outlined in O Keefe3 demonstrated that the IRVE-II Research Vehicle (RV) met mission objectives but also identified a few anomalies of interest to flight dynamics engineers. Most notable of these anomalies was high normal acceleration during the re-entry pressure pulse. Deflection of the inflatable aeroshell during the pressure pulse was evident in flight video and identified as the likely cause of the anomaly. This paper provides a summary of further post-flight analysis with particular attention to the impact of aeroshell flexibility on flight dynamics and the reconciliation of flight performance with pre-flight models. Independent methods for estimating the magnitude of the deflection of the aeroshell experienced on IRVE-II are discussed. The use of the results to refine models for pre-flight prediction of vehicle performance is then described.
Document ID
20110012164
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Bose, David M.
(Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Toniolo, Matthew D.
(Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. Hampton, VA, United States)
Cheatwood, F. M.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Hughes, Stephen J.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Dillman, Robert A.
(NASA Langley Research Center Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
May 23, 2011
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Report/Patent Number
NF1676L-11508
Meeting Information
Meeting: 21st AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference and Seminar
Location: Dublin
Country: Ireland
Start Date: May 23, 2011
End Date: May 26, 2011
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 599489.02.07.07.13.21
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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