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NASA NTRS · 20230013532

A Hybrid CFD/Engineering Model Tool for Lunar Lander Surface Erosion Prediction

Andrew Weaver·Thomas Shurtz·Peter Liever·Tim Dawson·Jason Howison·Jeffrey West
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Abstract

Plume-Surface Interaction (PSI) between lander engine plumes and landing area regolith poses risks to the landers and space exploration missions through view obscuration and high-energy ejecta impacts from eroded particle clouds and vehicle tilting from plume-induced craters. To address these risks, NASA MSFC Fluid Dynamics Branch (ER42) has developed a cascade of predictive simulation capabilities for PSI, including the recent development of a hybrid CFD/engineering model tool that allows for rapid PSI simulations with a descending/ascending vehicle and an eroding surface. The development of this fully-coupled, moving body/eroding surface simulation capability is detailed along with a demonstration of the tool’s capabilities on the Apollo 12 Lunar Module landing. Predictions of eroded mass flow rates as a function of time are verified against Apollo 12 flight data, from which the developed, viscous erosion model has been calibrated.

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Plume Surface InteractionLunar LanderPSIErosionCrateringCFD

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Andrew Weaver, Thomas Shurtz, Peter Liever, Tim Dawson, Jason Howison, Jeffrey West. A Hybrid CFD/Engineering Model Tool for Lunar Lander Surface Erosion Prediction. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230013532

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Hybrid CFD Engineering Model of Plume Induced Erosion and Crater Formation During Descent of Lunar Landers

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NASA NTRS2023

Hybrid CFD Engineering Model of Plume Induced Erosion and Crater Formation During Descent of Lunar Landers

With rapidly increased worldwide interest in landing on the moon, the issue of Plume Surface Interactions (PSI) is gaining attention. Hazards posed by lander plume induced dust and debris, as well as landing site deformation can be mitigated when better understood through predictive simulations. As simulation enabling computational power continues to increase, hybrid Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)/Engineering models provide the immediate ability to conduct parametric/trade studies driving design decisions for landers. Reduced order erosion engineering models apply correlations of the surface erosion rate to the plume induced surface forces with the correlations anchored to flight observations from Apollo LM landings. The MSFC propulsion fluid dynamics branch has developed such a hybrid model for predicting the plume induced viscous erosive regression of the Lunar surface beneath a landing vehicle. The (Descent Interpolated Gas Granular Erosion Model) DIGGEM was originally implemented as a post processing tool to calculate induced erosion rates through vehicle descent using CFD solutions of the vehicle plume at several fixed altitudes. This capability has since been advanced in the Loci/Chem-DIGGEM model to allow transient, moving vehicle, fully coupled viscous erosion modeling of vehicle descent PSI. This model has recently been used to make preflight predictions of the erosive regression of the ground beneath a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) vehicle in support of measurements to be made by the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument.

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