In flight experimentation for the IXV re-entry vehicle - Objectives, experiment design and implementation
- Paper number
IAC-12,D2,6,3,x15006
- Author
Mr. Carlos Pereira, RUAG Space, Switzerland
- Coauthor
Mr. Sebastian Walz, RUAG Space AG, Switzerland
- Coauthor
Mr. Giuseppe Rufolo, European Space Agency (ESA), France
- Coauthor
Mr. Flavio Camarri, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Italy
- Coauthor
Mr. Thierry Pichon, Herakles, Safran group, France
- Coauthor
Mr. Renaud Barreteau, Snecma Propulsion Solide, France
- Year
2012
- Abstract
This paper describes the In-Flight Experiments system (IFE) foreseen for the IXV Re-entry Vehicle. The re-entry vehicle is a 4.4 meter long slender body which is fully instrumented to capture details of its performance during the 30 minute hypersonic re-entry. Data are stored at a rate of 1-10 Hz until splashdown and transmitted to earth via telemetry. A transmission delay is implemented during the black-out phase. The measurements characterize the overall heating behaviour and performance of the thermal protection system (TPS) while also capturing aero-thermodynamic phenomena such as shock-shock and shock-boundary layer interactions. The objective of the sensor definition and placement in the vehicle is to maximize the amount of data while minimizing the number of sensors. To this end symmetric behaviour about the mid axis of the vehicle is assumed. The nose of the vehicle uses a total of twenty thermocouples and nine pressure sensors to capture angle of attack and skin friction effects, stagnation pressure and thermal gradients of the C-SiC ceramic. Two displacement sensors and thirty two strain gauges record mechanical loads and measure the differential expansion between the nose cap and the vehicle carbon composite structure. Similar measurement techniques are used for the windward ceramic tiles. A catalytic heating coating is implemented in the windward tiling. The leeward, lateral and base of the IXV vehicle are covered by ablative material. Measurement of its behaviour requires a dedicated design of the thermocouple measuring system. At the rear of the vehicle the flaps and hinge are instrumented using thermocouples and a comb system that allows unimpeded flap movement. An infrared camera with periscope optics based on a sapphire mirror generates thermal maps of the flaps. The derived thermal maps are then used to determine the windward temperatures using inverse methods. The infrared optics integrates a rotating pass filter allowing independent measure of temperature and emissivity. This allows correction of angular position of the flaps as well as hydrazine and ablative soot contamination. Images are compressed for transmission and stored in the data handling unit which analyzes them and sets gain and exposure of the camera. The dimensioning driver in the design of the experiments is the high thermal flux sustained during the 30 minute re-entry. The paper covers: \begin{itemize}\item Definition of the In-flight experiments and system architecture. \end{itemize} \begin{itemize}\item Selection and testing of suitable sensors. \end{itemize} \begin{itemize}\item Design of data acquisition system. \end{itemize}\begin{itemize}\item Qualification and validation testing. \end{itemize}- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-12,D2,6,3,x15006.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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