Dragonfly: A Study of the Effect of the Heatshield Separation

Edward Clutter, Michael Kinzel

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

    Abstract

    NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft lander will be delivered to Saturn’s moon Titan encapsulated between an aeroshell and a heatshield. Upon entering Titan’s atmosphere, a three phase Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) process will be used to launch Dragonfly. At the appropriate point in this process, the heatshield will be jettisoned to allow for the deployment of the lander. This paper presents a study of the heatshield separation aerodynamics, including the effects the separation distance and angle of attack have on the drag characteristics of the heatshield itself and the impact it has on the drag characteristics of the aeroshell-lander sub-assembly.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Title of host publicationAIAA Aviation Forum and ASCEND, 2024
    PublisherAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc, AIAA
    ISBN (Print)9781624107160
    DOIs
    StatePublished - 2024
    EventAIAA Aviation Forum and ASCEND, 2024 - Las Vegas, United States
    Duration: Jul 29 2024Aug 2 2024

    Publication series

    NameAIAA Aviation Forum and ASCEND, 2024

    Conference

    ConferenceAIAA Aviation Forum and ASCEND, 2024
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityLas Vegas
    Period7/29/248/2/24

    All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

    • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
    • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
    • Aerospace Engineering
    • Space and Planetary Science

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