Research
Aerobraking/Aeroassit Technology |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Dec 11 2007 at 11:37 PM |
| Research >> Aerospace Engineering Research |
Faculty: D. Subbaram Naidu
Graduate Students: Lin Li, Hardev Singh (PhD)
Collaborators: NASA Langley Research Center
Project Description:
According to the report of the National Commission on Space, PIONEERING
THE SPACE FRONTIER, the concept of aerobraking for orbital transfer has
been recognized as one of the critical technologies and recommended for
demonstration projects in building the necessary technology base for
pioneering the space frontier such as the establishment of a permanent
space station and space explorations to other planets such as Mars. In
particular, considering the economic benefits and reusability, an
orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) is proposed for transporting payloads
between low Earth orbit (LEO) and high Earth orbit (HEO). The two basic
operating modes contemplated for OTV are a ground-based OTV which
returns to Earth after each mission and a space-based OTV which
operates out of an orbiting hanger located at the proposed Space
Station Freedom. The main areas of research are guidance and control
aspects of atmospheric entry problem, orbital transfer with aeroassist
technology, aerocruise, and guidance.