PERFORMANCE OF SEVERAL ABLATION MATERIALS IN SIMULATED PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

The thermal protection by ablation of vehicles entering simulated planetary atmospheres was the subject of the present study. The capability for such a study was provided by the Space Sciences Laboratory's tandem Gerdien arc-a high purity, high enthalpy design, adapted to free jet testing. Well...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sheridan, R A, Diaconis, N S, Warren, W R
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ABLATION
ARGON
Astronautics
CARBON ARC LAMPS
CARBON DIOXIDE
ENTHALPY
GRAPHITE
NITROGEN
NYLON
SPACE SIMULATION CHAMBERS
TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE RESINS
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Summary:The thermal protection by ablation of vehicles entering simulated planetary atmospheres was the subject of the present study. The capability for such a study was provided by the Space Sciences Laboratory's tandem Gerdien arc-a high purity, high enthalpy design, adapted to free jet testing. Well known ablation materials typical of three classes of ablators were tested in the arc-heat gas mixture representative of Martian and Venusian atmospheres. The performance of each material in each gas mixture is evaluated and compared with similar performance in air. The results illustrate the severity of the entry problem for Mars and Venus relative to Earth re-entry for high heating rate or primarily steady state ablation situations. The effects of non-steady ablation and gas radiation on material performance were not studied.