Plasma Field Telemetry for Hypersonic Flight
Abstract
Air Force interest in pursuing a solution to telemetry through a plasma sheath has been renewed recently since the resulting methodology may dictate some hypersonic vehicle design requirements. (Note that the United States Air Force began researching solutions to telemetry through reentry plasma layers in 1959.) The design of a hypersonic vehicle is a complex series of trade-offs between highly coupled systems, including, but not limited to, propulsion, control, volumetric, payload, fuel, structural, aerodynamic, mission, and telemetry requirements. One promising solution for allowing telemetry through plasma layers is through aerodynamic shaping of the vehicle leading edge to generate the desired plasma properties further downstream. Shaping of this type could possibly allow for telemetry at the tail of the vehicle with minimal signal attenuation. However, aerodynamic modification of a hypersonic vehicle after production would be more difficult and costly than redesigning the vehicle to account for the telemetry requirements in the beginning.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA430330
Entities
People
- Daniel Hoult
- Mark J. Lewis
- Ryan P. Starkey
- Wilson Santos
Organizations
- University of Maryland