A reusable space vehicle design study exploring sharp leading edges

A low risk reentry: looking backward to step forward

“…Of course these small wing loads have a detrimental effect on volumetric efficiency (see [2,5,14]) though the authors do feel it is the price to be paid for improved safety.…”

“…This idea has been explored in Refs. [2,5,6,14] by identifying the maximum allowable stagnation point temperature and by following the corresponding Aerothermal Performance Constraint (APC) in the velocity-altitude plane.…”

“…[14] dealing with a vehicle denoted by SHARP-V5 (SV5). The SV5 vehicle proposes sharp leading edges as a way of increasing L/D in hypersonic regimes and of improving both the crossrange and the ascent abort trajectories; these two requirements were the drivers for the vehicle design.…”

Material property requirements for analysis and design of UHTC components in hypersonic applications

“…17 The WLE of the Space Shuttle orbiter has a radius of approximately 10 cm at the tip, while design concepts for some hypersonic maneuvering vehicles, such as the one under development in Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)'s Falcon program, have leading-edge radii on the order of millimeters. The challenge with sharp WLE designs is that the convective heating to the surface, and hence the surface temperature, increases as the WLE radius decreases.…”

High-enthalpy test environments, flow modeling and in situ diagnostics for characterizing ultra-high temperature ceramics

“…[3][4][5] Sharp leading edges enable vehicles with flight performance at hypersonic speeds (e.g., maneuverability, extended crossrange capability) that cannot be achieved with blunt body designs. 6,7 The main hurdle for sharp vehicle designs is the severe aerothermal heating environment that acts on sharp leading edges. The concentrated combination of high temperature and aggressive chemistry causes most materials to fail by melt- * Corresponding author.…”