Design and Development of Inflatable Aeroshell Structure for IRVE-3

Abstract Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs) provide the next generation of deceleration systems for both supersonic and hypersonic high mass vehicles. IADs can provide a large surface area producing low ballistic coefficients and reduced heating compared to a basic heat shield whose size is limited by launch vehicle fairing dimensions. A stacked torus concept meets this criterion and is the selected structural approach for the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3). A stacked torus consists of increasing diameter, pressurized tori joined together to form a conical structure. Each torus consists of a fiber reinforced braided tube with a gas barrier liner. The technology used for the braided tubes is well documented and highly tailorable. The stacked torus is joined to a center-body and covered with a flexible Thermal Protection System (TPS) to reduce the thermal loading on the inflatable structure. This paper will discuss the challenges of developing the structural requirements and designing the inflatable aeroshell structure for the IRVE-3 IAD.