2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Research on a shape variable atmospheric-entry vehicle using a flexible aeroshell
| Project/Area Number |
22760628
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Aerospace engineering
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| Research Institution | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency |
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Principal Investigator |
YAMADA Kazuhiko 独立行政法人宇宙航空研究開発機構, 宇宙科学研究所, 助教 (20415904)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2010 – 2012
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| Keywords | 航空宇宙流体工学 |
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| Research Abstract |
This research focuses on a new atmospheric-entry vehicle which can vary its shape using a flexible aeroshell. In this research, supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnel tests were carried out using scale models of the shape-variable vehicle in order to investigate the relation between a uniform flow condition, an inflating pressure, a vehicle’s shape and an aerodynamic force. On the basis of the results of the wind tunnel tests, a passive and automatic shape-varying atmospheric-entry vehicle was proposed for the Martian exploration. It is proved that its potential to travel the Martian orbit using the aerocapture* technique by the trajectory simulation.*Aerocapture : a technique to decelerate a spacecraft using the aerodynamic drag in a planet's atmosphere in order to bring the spacecraft in an elliptical orbit of a planet from a interplanetary trajectory.
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