Morphing Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator

The incorporation of Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) technology into entry vehicle designs opens up a new avenue for trajectory control through shape morphing of the inflatable structure. In this work, we explore the effects of shape morphing utilizing the super ellipse model for aeroshell shape generation, the Modified Newtonian Impact Theory for aerodynamic evaluation, a three degree-of-freedom (3 DOF) trajectory simulation, and a stagnation point heating model to evaluate morphed aeroshell shapes and their effect on trajectory. The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE) – 3 flight project and the High Energy Atmospheric Reentry Test (HEART) mission concept serve as the two HIAD case studies for our work. Our evaluation of this new control strategy focuses on three goals: 1) developing a tool for evaluating morphed aeroshell shapes; 2) determining a morphed aeroshell shape that will generate a useful change in lift-over-drag, while keeping the stagnation point heat flux below the practical limit of 30 W/cm; and 3) providing a basis for future research into morphing HIAD structures.