Aerodynamic Analysis of Next Generation Supersonic Decelerators

NASA’s Low Density Supersonic Decelerator project is developing new supersonic inflatable decelerators for application during descent into low density environments like that at Mars. The design and development of these technologies is aided by simulations and ground testing, leading up to full-scale demonstration in supersonic flight dynamics tests. The decelerators being developed are (1) a 6-meter inflatable torus called the Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator-Robotic (SIAD-R) (2) an 8-meter attached isotensoid Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator-Exploration (SIAD-E), and (3) a 30.5 m diameter supersonic Disksail parachute. A parachute deployment device (PDD) is also being developed to extract the parachute in a controlled manner. This paper describes the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to develop the aerodynamic database for SIAD-R, SIAD-E and the PDD. Modeling of fluid structure interaction for SIAD-E is also included to characterize the impact of deformation on the aerodynamics. CFD is also used to determine optimal size and placement of ram-air inlets used by SIAD-E and PDD for inflation.