Atmospheric entry of Mars-return nuclear-powered vehicles due to accidental termination of operations

Details Atmospheric entry of Mars-return nuclear-powered vehicles due to accidental termination of operations Atmospheric entry of Mars-return nuclear-powered vehicles due to accidental termination of operations

Jun 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993jpmc.confss...m&link_type=abstract

AIAA, SAE, ASME, and ASEE, Joint Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 29th, Monterey, CA, June 28-30, 1993, 14 p.

Computer Science

Aborted Missions, Hyperbolic Reentry, Nuclear Reactors, Nuclear Rocket Engines, Safety Management, Reentry Effects, Reentry Trajectories, Space Missions

Scientific paper

The entry of nuclear reactors into Earth's atmosphere resulting from an accidental or inadvertent abort of a space vehicle powered by nuclear-thermal rockets is investigated. The study is made for a typical piloted Mars mission vehicle incapacitated by an accident or malfunction during the Earth-arrival phase of the Mars-return journey due to simultaneous, multiple failures of its component systems. A single accident/abort scenario resulting in three entry possibilities is considered for a nominal hyperbolic in-bound approach velocity of 8 km/sec. The most severe case involving a direct entry is then analyzed over a broad range of approach velocities extending to 12 km/sec to include sprint-type missions. The results indicate that the severe surface heating, stagnation pressures, and g-loads are greater than 150 kW/sq cm, 300 atm, and 800-g, respectively. The wall heat transfer rate exceeds the value that can be accommodated by a carbon heatshield through radiation equilibrium prior to sublimation at 5500 K. These conditions are beyond our previous experience in crew safety, structural design, and thermal protection.

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