DSMC Simulations in Support of the STS-107 Accident Investigation

Abstract

Three-dimensional Direct Simulation Monte Carlo simulations of columbia Shuttle Orbiter flight STS--107 are presented. The aim of this work is to determine the aerodynamic and heating behavior of the Orbiter during aerobraking maneuvers and to provide piecewise integration of key scenario events to assess the plausibility of the candidate failure scenarios. The flight of the Orbiter is examined at two altitudes: 350 kft and 300 kft. The flow field around the Orbiter and the heat transfer to it are calculated for the undamaged configuration. The flow inside the wing for an assumed damage to the leading edge in the form of a 10-inch hole is studied.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 13, 2005
Accession Number
ADA446030

Entities

People

  • Michael A. Gallis

Organizations

  • Sandia National Laboratories

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accidents
  • Boundary Layer
  • Calorific Value
  • Carbon Carbon Composites
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Engineering
  • Flow
  • Flow Fields
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Free Stream
  • Geometry
  • Heat Flux
  • Heat Transfer
  • Leading Edges
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Simulations
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science/Meteorology
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Missile Defense Systems.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster