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Andrews Space Awarded Contract To Study Flexible Thermal Protection Concepts
Seattle WA (SPX) Oct 10, 2006 Andrews Space, Inc. (Andrews) announced today that it has been awarded a $600,000 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase II contract from NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) to perform a study entitled "Flexible Transpiration Cooled Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) for Inflatable Atmospheric Capture and Entry Systems". These concepts are directly applicable to ballute technologies, which Andrews is in the process of developing. The contract is an extension of the Phase I study Andrews completed in July 2006. A ballute is a pressure-stabilized, inflatable membrane that provides a large, blunt, high-drag surface for aero-braking systems. Ballutes offer significant advantages over rigid shells for aerocapture and re-entry of spacecraft by providing simplified packaging and lower total weight. During the Phase II SBIR, Andrews will develop and perform tests for a prototype TPS that is cooled by gas flow through an inflatable membrane during re-entry. Material tests will be conducted in an arcjet chamber to simulate the high heating conditions experienced during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The transpiration cooled membrane will allow ballutes to use thinner material stacks and existing material technologies by lowering the effective heat flux to the fabric. Experimental data will be used to refine the ballute design and develop a concept to enable larger operational systems. "Ballutes offer substantial performance advantages for planetary capture and entry systems. We are excited to help advance the state of the art to enable future spacecraft to include a ballute as a design solution," said Eric Wetzel, Andrews Director of Engineering. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Andrews Space Inc Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
UP Aerospace Says Rocket Needed Just Three More Seconds To Reach Space
Hartford CT (SPX) Oct 09, 2006UP Aerospace, Inc., the world's premier supplier of low-cost space access, has announced its preliminary analysis of its September 25th launch at Spaceport America. |
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