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Tauber, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Tauber, M..

7 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Thermophysics Issues Relevant to High-Speed Earth Entry of Large Asteroids

Physics of atmospheric entry of meteoroids was an active area of research at NASA ARC up to the early 1970s (e.g., the oft-cited work of Baldwin and Sheaffer). However, research in the area seems to have ended with the Apollo program, and any ties with an active international meteor physics community seem to have significantly diminished thereafter. In the decades following the 1970s, the focus of entry physics at NASA ARC has been on improvement of the math models of shock-layer physics (especially in chemical kinetics and radiation) and thermal response of ablative materials used for capsule heatshields. With the overarching objectives of understanding energy deposition into the atmosphere and fragmentation, could these modern analysis tools and processes be applied to the problem of atmospheric entry of meteoroids as well? In the presentation we will explore: (i) the physics of atmospheric entries of meteoroids using our current state-of-the-art tools and processes, (ii) how multiple bodies interact, and (iii) the influence of wall blowing on flow dynamics.

Atmospheric Entry↗
NASA NTRS2015

Meteor Entry and Breakup Based on Evolution of NASAs Entry Capsule Design Tools

Physics of atmospheric entry of meteoroids was an active area of research at NASA ARC up to the early 1970s (e.g., the oft-cited work of Baldwin and Sheaffer). However, research in the area seems to have ended with the Apollo program, and any ties with an active international meteor physics community seem to have significantly diminished thereafter. In the decades following the 1970s, the focus of entry physics at NASA ARC has been on improvement of the math models of shock-layer physics (especially in chemical kinetics and radiation) and thermal response of ablative materials used for capsule heatshields. With the overarching objectives of understanding energy deposition into the atmosphere and fragmentation, could these modern analysis tools and processes be applied to the problem of atmospheric entry of meteoroids as well? In the presentation we will explore: (i) the physics of atmospheric entries of meteoroids using our current state-of-the-art tools and processes, (ii) the influence of shape (and shape change) on flow characteristics, and (iii) how multiple bodies interact.

Prabku, Dinesh K.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Estimates of Heat Shielding Requirements for Saturn Probe Missions

Entry trajectories, decelerations, heating and heat shielding requirements of probes entering the atmosphere of Saturn at relative entry velocities ranging from 26.5 - 33.0 km/sec were studied. Much of the Galileo Jupiter probe technology was applicable to these outer planet probes; therefore, the same configuration was used. A wide range entry flight path angles were used in the trajectory analysis in order to satisfy the complete range of arrival conditions and trajectory requirements. Various entry probe sizes and a range of entry masses from 32 - 258 kg were considered. The carbon phenolic heat shield material used on the Galileo and the successful Pioneer-Venus probes was selected. Turbulent boundary layer convection dominated the heating of the Saturn probes; radiative heating was negligible by comparison at the entry velocities considered. The peak heating rates were found to be about 4 kW per square centimeter, or approximately 17% of the Galileo probe's expected maximum value. The forebody heat shield mass fractions for the Saturn probes were found to vary from about 0.18 to 0.28. By comparison, the Pioneer-Venus probes' heat shield mass fractions ranged from 0.10 to 0.13 and the Galileo probe's forebody value is 0.43.

Wercinski, P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

MESUR probe aerobrake preliminary design study

Aerobrake design for the Mars Environmental Survey (MESUR) vehicles is considered which is intended for both a nominal entry velocity of 7 km/sec and a high-speed case of 9 km/sec. Topics discussed include the entry environment, the thermal protection requirements for several types of heat shield materials, the structural design of the aeroshell, and the total aerobrake masses and mass fractions. For the nominal 7 km/sec entry, a silicone elastometric charring ablator, SLA-561, was found to be the lightest heat shield material. For the 7 km/sec entry, the mass fraction of the aerobrake was 13.2 percent. For the 9 km/sec entry, the heat shield consisted of the medium-density ablator AVCOAT-5026; SLA-561 was used on part of the conical skirt. The aerobrake mass fraction in this case was 18 percent. It is recommended that separate aerobrakes be designed for probes entering at 7 and 9 km/sec.

Tauber, M.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Aerobrake design studies for manned Mars missions

The dimensions of aerobrakes and associated heat shields are calculated as a fraction of the vehicle mass required for a high-velocity manned Mars entry. The entry speed and deceleration limit are assumed to be 8.6 km/sec and 5 earth g, respectively, to consider vehicles with low lift-drag ratio (L/D) and ballistic coefficients of 100 and 200 kg/sq m, as well as a vehicle with a medium L/D and a ballistic coefficient of 375 kg/sq m. The aerobrake mass plus the heat shield divided by an optimized, blunt-shaped vehicle's total mass is 15 and 13 percent for ballistic coefficients of 100 and 200 kg/sq m, respectively. For a winged vehicle the mass fraction is 17 percent because the higher ballistic coefficient requires more thermal protection to account for the greater temperatures generated. It is concluded that aerobraking is more efficient than propulsive braking because the mass fraction for a propulsive system would be 4 or 5 times greater than those calculated for aerobraking.

Tauber, M.↗