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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