Supersonic aerodynamic characteristics of proposed mars '07 smart lander configurations

Supersonic aerodynamic data were obtained for proposed Mars '07 Smart Lander configurations in NASA Langley Research Center's Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. The primary objective of this test program was to assess the supersonic aerodynamic characteristics of the baseline Smart Lander configuration with and without fixed shelf/tab control surfaces. Data were obtained over a Mach-number range of 2.3-4.5, at a freestream Reynolds number of 1 x 10 6 based on body diameter. All configurations were run at angles of attack from -5 to 20 deg and angles of sideslip of -5 to 5 deg. These results were complemented with computational fluid dynamic predictions to enhance the understanding of experimentally observed aerodynamic trends. Inviscid and viscous full model computational solutions compared well with experimental results for the baseline and three shelf/tab configurations. Over the range tested, Mach-number effects were shown to be small on vehicle aerodynamic characteristics. Based on the results from three different shelf/tab configurations, a fixed-control surface appears to be a feasible concept for meeting aerodynamic performance metrics necessary to satisfy mission requirements.