Ballistic Energy Parameter Controller for Atmospheric Reentry of a Lifting Body
Abstract
A preliminary investigation was conducted on the usefulness of the nondimensional ballistic energy parameter Q in a control scheme for the atmospheric reentry of a lifting body with a maximum L/D of 2. A feasible control scheme was developed that allowed onboard calculation of the angle of attack which was used as the control. The control scheme was used over a wide spread of surface ranges while still meeting criteria on heating rate, deceleration and obtaining a desired final velocity. The final altitude was near that desired. The control scheme is flexible in that it has the capability of updating itself continually as its states become better known and if the control becomes saturated for a part of the reentry trajectory the scheme will pick up again when the vehicle returns to a controllable state. The development was in two dimensional space and comparisons were made with desirable reference trajectories.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0768380
Entities
People
- Dennis Navin
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology