A Flexible Concept of an Aerobraking System for Geospace Exploration Vehicles

Paper number

IAC-14,D1,1,2,x21724

Author

Mr. Bastian Olberts, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Coauthor

Prof. Ernst Messerschmid, University of Stuttgart, Germany

Year

2014

Abstract

In 2004 the International Academy of Astronautics identified in its Cosmic Study on “The next Steps in Exploring Deep Space” a so called Geospace Exploration Vehicle for the transportation of astronauts. The return of such a vehicle requires a large amount of fuel for braking at the Earth into a Low Earth Orbit. This paper presents a variable aerobraking system concept that can be applied to  an entire class of exploration vehicles returning from the Moon or Libration Points.
A parameterized mass model incorporating an aerodynamic database, a transient thermal analysis and an analytical structural model is
developed. A comparison is drawn between trajectory control through an adjustment of the number of passes and through drag control.
It is shown that the aerobraking system for the preferred option
accounts for about 15 percent of the total vehicle mass for an
aerobraking phase of 41 days. The system is applicable to vehicles with a mass of twenty to fifty tons while being compatible with the available payload diameter of current launchers. The sensitivity to a change in the center of mass is very low indicating a flexible operational feature.

Abstract document

IAC-14,D1,1,2,x21724.brief.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-14,D1,1,2,x21724.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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