Cold Gas Injection for Erosion Protection

A method for providing shape-stable, high-performance re-entry through an ablative/erosive environment has been developed. This concept involves injection of cold gas through an array of discrete sonic orifices. The gasous injectant produces a relatively thick layer of dense material which is designed to decelerate and break up incoming particles and droplets. The overall nosetip design rationale is presented and modeling predictions are compared to data obtained in two series of tests performed in a 10-MW arc facility with and without particle flow.