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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Carbon Nanotube-enhanced Carbon-phenolic Ablator Material

Phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) is a thermal protection system (TPS) material developed at NASA Ames Research Center in the mid-90 s for Discovery missions. It was used on the Stardust return capsule heat shield which successfully executed the highest speed Earth entry to date on January 15, 2006. PICA is a porous fibrous carbon insulation infiltrated with phenolic resin, and is an excellent ablator that is effective for heating rates up to 1000 W/sq cm. It is one of several candidate TPS materials for the next generation of crewed spacecraft for Lunar and Mars missions. We will describe an ongoing research effort at NASA to improve mechanical properties of the phenolic matrix with carbon nanotubes. The aim is two-fold: to increase overall TPS strength during reentry and to improve Micrometeoroid/Orbital Debris (MMOD) protection in space. The former requires at least a good dispersion of nanotubes in phenolic, while the latter also requires covalent bonding between them to couple and transfer impact energy effectively from matrix to nanotubes. We will discuss the required chemical functionalization of nanotubes, processing issues and test results.

Nikolaev, P.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Multidimensional Tests of Thermal Protection Materials in the Arcjet Test Facility

Many thermal protection system materials used for spacecraft heatshields have anisotropic thermal properties, causing them to display significantly different thermal characteristics in different directions, when subjected to a heating environment during flight or arcjet tests. This paper investigates the effects of sidewall heating coupled with anisotropic thermal properties of thermal protection materials in the arcjet environment. Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) and LI-2200 materials (the insulation material of Shuttle tiles) were used for this study. First, conduction-based thermal response simulations were carried out, using the Marc.Mentat finite element solver, to study the effects of sidewall heating on PICA arcjet coupons. The simulation showed that sidewall heating plays a significant role in thermal response of these models. Arcjet tests at the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) at NASA Ames Research Center were performed later on instrumented coupons to obtain temperature history at sidewall and various radial locations. The details of instrumentation and experimental technique are the prime focus of this paper. The results obtained from testing confirmed that sidewall heating plays a significant role in thermal response of these models. The test results were later used to verify the two-dimensional ablation, thermal response, and sizing program, TITAN. The test data and model predictions were found to be in excellent agreement

Agrawal, Parul↗
NASA NTRS2010

Multidimensional Testing of Thermal Protection Materials in the Arcjet Test Facility

Many thermal protection system materials used for spacecraft heatshields have anisotropic thermal properties, causing them to display significantly different thermal characteristics in different directions, when subjected to a heating environment during flight or arcjet tests. The anisotropic effects are enhanced in the presence of sidewall heating. This paper investigates the effects of anisotropic thermal properties of thermal protection materials coupled with sidewall heating in the arcjet environment. Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) and LI-2200 materials (the insulation material of Shuttle tiles) were used for this study. First, conduction-based thermal response simulations were carried out, using the Marc.Mentat finite element solver, to study the effects of sidewall heating on PICA arcjet coupons. The simulation showed that sidewall heating plays a significant role in thermal response of these models. Arcjet tests at the Aerodynamic Heating Facility (AHF) at NASA Ames Research Center were performed later on instrumented coupons to obtain temperature history at sidewall and various radial locations. The details of instrumentation and experimental technique are the prime focus of this paper. The results obtained from testing confirmed that sidewall heating plays a significant role in thermal response of these models. The test results were later used to validate the two-dimensional ablation, thermal response, and sizing program, TITAN. The test data and model predictions were found to be in excellent agreement

Agrawal, Parul↗
NASA NTRS2012

Testing of Candidate Rigid Heatshield Materials at LHMEL for the Entry, Descent, and Landing Technology Development Project

The material testing results described in this paper were part of a material development program of vendor-supplied, proposed heat shield materials. The goal of this program was to develop low density, rigid material systems with an appreciable weight savings over phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) while improving material response performance. New technologies, such as PICA-like materials in honeycomb or materials with variable density through-the-thickness were tested. The material testing took place at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Laser Hardened Materials Laboratory (LHMEL) using a 10.6 micron CO2 laser operating with the test articles immersed in a nitrogen-gas environment at 1 atmosphere pressure. Test measurements included thermocouple readings of in-depth temperatures, pyrometer readings of surface temperatures, weight scale readings of mass loss, and sectioned-sample readings of char depth. Two laser exposures were applied. The first exposure was at an irradiance of 450 W/cm2 for 50 or 60 seconds to simulate an aerocapture maneuver. The second laser exposure was at an irradiance of 115 W/cm2 for 100 seconds to simulate a planetary entry. Results from Rounds 1 and 2 of these screening tests are summarized.

Sepka, Steven↗
NASA NTRS2012

Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System for Planetary and Human Exploration Missions

The Office of Chief Technologist (OCT), NASA has identified the need for research and technology development in part from NASAs Strategic Goal 3.3 of the NASA Strategic Plan to develop and demonstrate the critical technologies that will make NASAs exploration, science, and discovery missions more affordable and more capable. Furthermore, the Game Changing Development Program (GCDP) is a primary avenue to achieve the Agencys 2011 strategic goal to Create the innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future. In addition, recently released NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities, by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences stresses the need for NASA to invest in the very near term in specific EDL technologies. The report points out the following challenges (Page 2-38 of the pre-publication copy released on February 1, 2012): Mass to Surface: Develop the ability to deliver more payload to the destination. NASA's future missions will require ever-greater mass delivery capability in order to place scientifically significant instrument packages on distant bodies of interest, to facilitate sample returns from bodies of interest, and to enable human exploration of planets such as Mars. As the maximum mass that can be delivered to an entry interface is fixed for a given launch system and trajectory design, the mass delivered to the surface will require reductions in spacecraft structural mass more efficient, lighter thermal protection systems more efficient lighter propulsion systems and lighter, more efficient deceleration systems. Surface Access: Increase the ability to land at a variety of planetary locales and at a variety of times. Access to specific sites can be achieved via landing at a specific location(s) or transit from a single designated landing location, but it is currently infeasible to transit long distances and through extremely rugged terrain, requiring landing close to the site of interest. The entry environment is not always guaranteed with a direct entry, and improving the entry systems robustness to a variety of environmental conditions could aid in reaching more varied landing sites. The National Research Council (NRC) Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report highlights six challenges and they are: 1) Mass to Surface, 2) Surface Access, 3) Precision Landing, 4) Surface Hazard Detection and Avoidance, 5) Safety and Mission Assurance, and 6) Affordability. In order for NASA to meet these challenges, the report recommends immediate focus on Rigid and Flexible Thermal Protection Systems. Rigid TPS systems such as Avcoat or SLA are honeycomb based and PICA is in the form of tiles. The honeycomb systems is manufactured using techniques that require filling of each (3/8 cell) by hand and within a limited amount of time once the ablative compound is mixed, all of the cells have to be filled and the entire heat-shield has to be cured. The tile systems such as PICA pose a different challenge as the mechanical strength characteristic and the manufacturing limitations require large number of small tiles with gap-fillers between the tiles. Recent investments in flexible ablative systems have given rise to the potential for conformal ablative TPS> A conformal TPS over a rigid aeroshell has the potential to solve a number of challenges faced by traditional rigid TPS materials.

Beck, R.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Heat Shield Paves the Way for Commercial Space

The Phenolic-Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) heat shield, a lightweight material designed to withstand high temperatures, was used for the Stardust’s reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX later worked with the inventors at Ames Research Center to outfit PICA on its Dragon capsule, which is now delivering cargo to and from the International Space Station through NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services contracts program.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2013

Conformal Ablative Thermal Protection System for Planetary and Human Exploration Missions:An Overview of the Technology Maturation Effort

The Office of Chief Technologist, NASA identified the need for research and technology development in part from NASAs Strategic Goal 3.3 of the NASA Strategic Plan to develop and demonstrate the critical technologies that will make NASAs exploration, science, and discovery missions more affordable and more capable. Furthermore, the Game Changing Development Program is a primary avenue to achieve the Agencys 2011 strategic goal to Create the innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future. The National Research Council (NRC) Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report highlights six challenges and they are: Mass to Surface, Surface Access, Precision Landing, Surface Hazard Detection and Avoidance, Safety and Mission Assurance, and Affordability. In order for NASA to meet these challenges, the report recommends immediate focus on Rigid and Flexible Thermal Protection Systems. Rigid TPS systems such as Avcoat or SLA are honeycomb based and PICA is in the form of tiles. The honeycomb systems are manufactured using techniques that require filling of each (38 cell) by hand, and in a limited amount of time all of the cells must be filled and the heatshield must be cured. The tile systems such as PICA pose a different challenge as the low strain-to-failure and manufacturing size limitations require large number of small tiles with gap-fillers between the tiles. Recent investments in flexible ablative systems have given rise to the potential for conformal ablative TPS. A conformal TPS over a rigid aeroshell has the potential to solve a number of challenges faced by traditional rigid TPS materials. The high strain-to-failure nature of the conformal ablative materials will allow integration of the TPS with the underlying aeroshell structure much easier and enable monolithic-like configuration and larger segments (or parts) to be used. By reducing the overall part count, the cost of installation (based on cost comparisons between blanket and tile materials on shuttle) should be significantly reduced. The conformal ablator design will include a simplified design of seams between gore panels, which should eliminate the need for gap filler design, and should accommodate a wider range of allowable carrier structure imperfections when compared to a rigid material such as PICA.The Conformal TPS development project leverages the past investments made by earlier projects with a goal to develop and deliver a TRL 5 conformal TPS capable of 250 Wcm2 for missions such as MSL or COTS missions. The capabilities goal for the conformal TPS is similar to an MSL design reference mission (250 Wcm2) with matching pressures and shear environments. Both conformal and flexible carbon-felt based materials were successfully tested in stagnation aerothermal environments above 500 Wcm2 under earlier programs. Results on a myriad of materials developed during FY11 were used to determine which materials to start with in FY12. In FY12, the conformal TPS element focused on establishing materials requirements based on MSL-type and COTS Low Earth orbit (LEO) conditions (q 250 Wcm2) to develop and deliver a Conformal Ablative TPS. In FY13, development and refining metrics for mission utilization of conformal ablator technology along with assessment for potential mission stakeholders will be carried out.

Thermal protection materials↗
NASA NTRS2009

Retro Rocket Motor Self-Penetrating Scheme for Heat Shield Exhaust Ports

A preliminary scheme was developed for base-mounted solid-propellant retro rocket motors to self-penetrate the Orion Crew Module heat shield for configurations with the heat shield retained during landings on Earth. In this system the motors propel impactors into structural push plates, which in turn push through the heat shield ablator material. The push plates are sized such that the remaining port in the ablator material is large enough to provide adequate flow area for the motor exhaust plume. The push plate thickness is sized to assure structural integrity behind the ablative thermal protection material. The concept feasibility was demonstrated and the performance was characterized using a gas gun to launch representative impactors into heat shield targets with push plates. The tests were conducted using targets equipped with Fiberform(R) and PICA as the heat shield ablator material layer. The PICA penetration event times were estimated to be under 30 ms from the start of motor ignition. The mass of the system (not including motors) was estimated to be less than 2.3 kg (5 lbs) per motor. The configuration and demonstrations are discussed.

landing system↗
NASA NTRS2016

Development of Advanced Conformal Ablative TPS Fabricated from Rayon- and PAN-Based Carbon Felts

The conformal ablative TPS first developed under NASA's Hypersonics Project in the early 2000's demonstrated very low through the thickness conductivity compared to state-ofthe- art PICA. However, in initial arcjet testing of Conformal-1, surface recession rates were 2x higher than PICA. Because commercial carbon felts are currently available as very thin substrates, this was a concern if conformal TPS were to be considered for a mission that required thicker material. Discussed in this paper are the results of the development of an Advanced Conformal TPS derived from thicker, higher density carbon felt. Two substrate systems were evaluated, the first material was a needled rayon-based carbon felt and the other a needled PAN-based carbon felt. Both substrates were impregnated with phenolic resin following the PICA/CPICA process to add a low density phenolic matrix to the system prior to aerothermal screening at the LaRC HyMETS facility and larger scale testing in the NASA ARC Interaction Heating Facility (IHF) at heating fluxes ranging from 250-1700 W/cm2.

Arcjet Testing↗
NASA NTRS2011

Effects of Non-Equilibrium Chemistry and Darcy-Forchheimer Flow of Pyrolysis Gas for a Charring Ablator

The Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal Response code, FIAT, simulates pyrolysis and ablation of thermal protection materials and systems. The governing equations, which include energy conservation, a three-component decomposition model, and a surface energy balance, are solved with a moving grid. This work describes new modeling capabilities that are added to a special version of FIAT. These capabilities include a time-dependent pyrolysis gas flow momentum equation with Darcy-Forchheimer terms and pyrolysis gas species conservation equations with finite-rate homogeneous chemical reactions. The total energy conservation equation is also enhanced for consistency with these new additions. Parametric studies are performed using this enhanced version of FIAT. Two groups of analyses of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) are presented. In the first group, an Orion flight environment for a proposed Lunar-return trajectory is considered. In the second group, various test conditions for arcjet models are examined. The central focus of these parametric studies is to understand the effect of pyrolysis gas momentum transfer on PICA material in-depth thermal responses with finite-rate, equilibrium, or frozen homogeneous gas chemistry. Results are presented, discussed, and compared with those predicted by the baseline PICA/FIAT ablation and thermal response model developed by the Orion Thermal Protection System Advanced Development Project.

Ablation↗
NASA NTRS2016

Cyanate Ester and Phthalonitrile Impregnated Carbon Ablative TPS

Phenolic resin has extensive heritage as a TPS (Thermal Protection Systems) material, however, alternative resin systems such as Cyanate Ester and Phthalonitrile may offer improved performance compared to state-of-the-art phenolic resin. These alternative resin systems may have higher char yield, higher char strength, lower thermal conductivity and improved mechanical properties. In current work at NASA Ames alternative resin systems were uniformly infused into fibrous substrates and preliminary properties characterized. The density of the cyanate ester infused in fibrous substrate ranged from 0.25-0.3 grams per cubic centimeter compared to PICA (Phenolic resin impregnated carbon ablative) having a density of approximately 0.25 grams per cubic centimeter. The density of Phthalonitrile varies from 0.22-0.25 grams per cubic centimeter. Initial formulations of these new resin systems were recently tested at the LARC HyMETs (Hypersonic Materials Environmental Test System) facility to evaluate their performance and data such as back face temperature, char yield, and recession are compared to PICA. Cyanate Ester and Phthalonitrile impregnated carbon ablative samples showed comparable performance to phenolic resin impregnated carbon ablative samples.

Polymer↗
NASA NTRS2017

MELDI2 Do No Harm Test Series

Mars 2020 will fly the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation II (MEDLI2) sensor suite consisting of a total of seventeen instrumented thermal sensor plugs, eight pressure transducers, two heat flux sensors, and one radiometer embedded in the thermal protection system (TPS). Of the MEDLI2 instrumentation, eleven instrumented thermal plugs and seven pressure transducers will be installed on the heatshield of the Mars 2020 vehicle while the rest will be installed on the backshell. The goal of the MEDLI2 instrumentation is to directly inform the large performance uncertainties that contribute to the design and validation of a Mars entry system. A better understanding of the entry environment and TPS performance could lead to reduced design margins enabling a greater payload mass-fraction and smaller landing ellipses. To prove that the MEDLI2 system will not degrade the performance of the Mars 2020 TPS, an Aerothermal Do No Harm (DNH) test series was designed and conducted. Like Mars 2020's predecessor, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the heatshield material will be Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA); the Mars 2020 entry conditions are enveloped by the MSL design environments, therefore the development and qualification testing performed during MEDLI is sufficient to show that the similar MEDLI2 heatshield instrumentation will not degrade PICA performance. However, given that MEDLI did not include any backshell instrumentation, the MEDLI2 team was required to design and execute a DNH test series utilizing the backshell TPS material (SLA-561V) with the intended flight sensor suite. To meet the requirements handed down from Mars 2020, the MEDLI2 DNH test series emphasized the interaction between the MEDLI2 sensors and sensing locations with the surrounding backshell TPS and substrucutre. These interactions were characterized by performing environmental testing of four 12" by 12" test panels, which mimicked the construction of the backshell TPS and the integration of the MEDLI2 sensors as seen in Figure 1. The testing included thermal vacuum/ cycling, random vibration, shock, and arc jet testing. The test panels were fabricated by Lockheed Martin, establishing techniques that will be utilized during the Mars 2020 vehicle installation. Each test panel included one thermal sensor plug (two embedded thermocouples), one heat flux sensor, and multiple pressure port holes for evaluation. This presentation will discuss the planning and execution of the MEDLI2 DNH test series. Selected highlights and results of each environmental test will be presented, and lessons learned will be addressed that will feed forward into the planning for the MEDLI2 flight system certification testing.

Heatshield↗
NASA NTRS2017

Radiative Heat Transfer Modeling in Fibrous Porous Media

Phenolic-Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) was developed at NASA Ames Research Center as a lightweight thermal protection system material for successful atmospheric entries. The objective of the current work is to compute the effective radiative conductivity of fibrous porous media, such as preforms used to make PICA, to enable the efficient design of materials that can meet the thermal performance goals of forthcoming space exploration missions.

Radiative↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mars2020 Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation 2 (MEDLI2) Do No Harm Test Series

A total of seventeen instrumented thermal sensor plugs, eight pressure transducers, two heat flux sensors, and one radiometer are planned to be utilized on the Mars 2020 missions thermal protection system (TPS) as part of the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation II (MEDLI2) project. Of the MEDLI2 instrumentation, eleven instrumented thermal plugs and seven pressure transducers will be installed on the heatshield of the Mars 2020 vehicle while the rest will be installed on the backshell. The goal of the MEDLI2 instrumentation is to directly inform the large performance uncertainties that contribute to the design and validation of a Mars entry system. A better understanding of the entry environment and TPS performance could lead to reduced design margins enabling a greater payload mass-fraction and smaller landing ellipses. To prove that the MEDLI2 system will not degrade the performance of the Mars 2020 TPS, an Aerothermal Do No Harm (DNH) test series was designed and conducted. Like Mars 2020s predecessor, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the heatshield material will be Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA); the Mars 2020 entry conditions are enveloped by the MSL design environments, therefore the development and qualification testing performed during MEDLI is sufficient to show that the similar MEDLI2 heatshield instrumentation will not degrade PICA performance. However, given that MEDLI did not include any backshell instrumentation, the MEDLI2 team was required to design and execute a DNH test series utilizing the backshell TPS material (SLA-561V) with the intended flight sensor suite. To meet the requirements handed down from Mars 2020, the MEDLI2 DNH test series emphasized the interaction between the MEDLI2 sensors and sensing locations with the surrounding backshell TPS and substrucutre. These interactions were characterized by performing environmental testing of four 12 by 12 test panels, which mimicked the construction of the backshell TPS and the integration of the MEDLI2 sensors as seen in Figure 1. The testing included thermal vacuumcycling, random vibration, shock, and arc jet testing. The test panels were fabricated by Lockheed Martin, establishing techniques that will be utilized during the Mars 2020 vehicle installation. Each test panel included one thermal sensor plug (two embedded thermocouples), one heat flux sensor, and multiple pressure port holes for evaluation.This presentation will discuss the planning and execution of the MEDLI2 DNH test series. Selected highlights and results of each environmental test will be presented, and lessons learned will be addressed that will feed forward into the planning for the MEDLI2 flight system certification testing.

backshell↗
NASA NTRS2018

Material Response Analysis of a Titan Entry Heatshield

Accurate calculation of thermal protection material response is critical to the vehicle design for missions to the Saturn moon Titan. In this study, Icarus, a three-dimensional, unstructured, finite-volume material response solver under active development at NASA Ames Research Center, is used to compute the in-depth material response of the Huygens spacecraft along its November 11 entry trajectory. The heatshield analyzed in this study consists of a five-layer stack-up of Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA), aluminum honeycomb, adhesive, and face sheetmaterials. During planetary entry, the PICA outer layer is expected to undergo pyrolysis. A surface energy balance boundary condition that captures both time- and spatial-variance of surface properties during entry is used in the simulation.

material response↗
NASA NTRS2020

A Multiscale Cohesive Law for Carbon Fiber Networks

Better predictive models of mechanical failure in low-weight heat shield composites would aid material certification for missions with aggressive atmospheric entry conditions. Here, we develop such a model for the rapid engineering analysis of the failure limits of phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) - a leading heat shield material whose structural component is a carbon fiber network. We hypothesize inelastic deformation failure mechanisms and model their behavior using molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the binding energy. We then upscale this binding energy to the macroscale using a renormalization argument. The approach delivers insightful and reasonably accurate macroscale predictions that compare favorably to experiments. In application, the model is validated for a particular variety of PICA by comparison to experiment and would then be used to study design scenarios in different entry conditions.

W. SCHILL↗
NASA NTRS2020

Thermal Protection System to Enable Ice Giant Aerocapture Mission for Delivering both an Orbiter and an in situ Probe

Ice Giant Missions launched in the next decade can have significantly reduced trip times by incorporating aerocapture as the primary method for orbit insertion instead of conventional propulsive techniques. Furthermore, a mass-efficient aerocapture system for a Neptune mission also enables the delivery of an orbiter, an atmospheric probe for in situ measurements to anchor global data collected by the orbiter, and possibly a lander at Triton. Aerocapture requires a Thermal Protection System (TPS) for the atmospheric entry, and it needs to be robust and mass efficient due to the size of the aeroshell required and the large heat load. Currently there are capable ablative thermal protection materials available, e.g., HEEET (Heatshield for Extreme Entry Environments Technology) and PICA (Phenolic-Impregnated Carbon Ablator) family. In this white paper, we show that the heat-shield TPS mass fraction can be as low as 5% to as high as 20% depending on total trip time reduction and other parameters. Further mass savings in the thermal protection system can be achieved with the use of conformal PICA, either standalone or in combination with HEEET with detailed design. We advocate the mission designers to consider aerocapture for Ice Giant missions so the science community can confidently consider missions to the Ice Giants to achieve unparalleled science in the coming decade.

E Venkatapathy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

An Approach to Critical Ablative TPS Capabilities Sustainment for Future NASA Missions

We plan to present an approach for NASA to maintain critical ablative TPS capabilities through small, sus-tained, smart and targeted investment. Historically, we have been pound foolish and penny wise for decades and paid very little attention to sustainability of abla-tive TPS and as a result, spent couple of decades in learning what we lost and inventing newer technology solutions. NASA’s ablative TPS history has been one of in-vesting in new and unique capabilities in anticipation of needs, and once flight proven, letting the capability atrophy due to lack of subsequent near-term mission needs [1]. When the need arises, NASA has resorted to two options: (1) revive the capability at considerable cost impact, or (2) develop an alternate capability with considerable schedule impact. Both these options have had considerable mission impact. The third alternate is to maintain proven capabilities in a cost effective manner. A risk informed decision process in terms of maintaining ablative TPS capabilities is feasible with planning and sustained support. Assured TPS availa-bility will allow the science community to propose competed missions with confidence and at a lower risk for selection. We submitted a white paper to the cur-rent Decadal Survey [2] on the need for and im-portance of sustainability. Since then, we have been formulating an executable cost effective strategy. The intent of this presentation is to outline the develop-ments since the submission of the white paper. NASA and DoD have had a working group related to critical technologies to periodically assess and make recommendations on at-risk items from a national need perspective. This inter-agency working group typically focuses on raw materials availability. While we agree that at-risk raw materials are important, fo-cus solely on them is not sufficient. Instead, we advo-cate for a broader focus that includes not only raw material but also industrial manufacturing and processing, and NASA expertise in design, testing and flight hardware certification. In this proposed presentation, we will give a brief overview of NASA’s ablative TPS history along with recent examples of atrophy to highlight case studies related to the PICA and Carbon-Phenolic TPS. We will present the rationale for sustaining PICA, HEEET and 3MDCP for future NASA missions. We will present an approach for how targeted small investments could lead to maintaining mission critical capabilities over long periods.

E Venkatapathy↗