Perspective on ReEntry Breakup Recorder Derived Concepts for Small Payload Flight Experiments

he main objective behind the Reentry Breakup Recorder (REBR) design is to record reentry data of space hardware into the Earth’s atmosphere and its subsequent breakup due to aerodynamic heating and loads. This small autonomous device has survived, successfully recorded and transmitted reentry data for the three recent reentry flights on carrier ISS supply host vehicles HTV2 (March 30, 2011), HTV3 (September 14, 2012) and ATV3 (October 3, 2012) and is thus a flight tested harware. REBR enables propulsionless reentry and, although not designed to be recoverable, the recent flight data indicates that recovery may in fact be possible. The main purpose behind continuing to develop REBR remains the acquisition of scientific data with relevance to debris disintegration upon atmospheric reentry, to also inform International Space Station (ISS) end of life. However, a myriad of secondary uses emerge. From the new REBR based secondary application space the main candidates are: (1) platform for low cost entry systems testing and model architectures; (2) tailorability options for TPS and corresponding instrumentation; (3) near on-demand sample return from ISS; (4) an aircraft-like “black box” for space transportation vehicles, etc. The current paper aims to discuss the various possible emerging concepts, their assumptions and limitations, in increasing order of complexity. A feasibility analysis attempting to associate each concept to one of the areas in the new application space will be performed. The results of a preliminary analysis for two different vehicle configurations with a ballistic coefficient of 59.1 kg/m and 55.5 kg/m, several flight path angles and a suite of options for the heat shield materials will be presented.