PERFORMANCE OF SEVERAL ABLATION MATERIALS IN SIMULATED PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

Abstract

The thermal protection by ablation of vehicles entering simulated planetary atmospheres was the subject of the present study. The capability for such a study was provided by the Space Sciences Laboratory's tandem Gerdien arc-a high purity, high enthalpy design, adapted to free jet testing. Well known ablation materials typical of three classes of ablators were tested in the arc-heat gas mixture representative of Martian and Venusian atmospheres. The performance of each material in each gas mixture is evaluated and compared with similar performance in air. The results illustrate the severity of the entry problem for Mars and Venus relative to Earth re-entry for high heating rate or primarily steady state ablation situations. The effects of non-steady ablation and gas radiation on material performance were not studied.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1963
Accession Number
AD0410356

Entities

People

  • N. S. Diaconis
  • R. A. Sheridan
  • W. R. Warren

Organizations

  • General Electric

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Arc Heaters
  • Energy
  • Enthalpy
  • Flow
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heating
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Planetary Atmospheres
  • Space Sciences
  • Stagnation Point
  • Steady State
  • Surface Temperature
  • Test Facilities
  • Thermodynamic Properties

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Orbital Debris
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers