Design and Testing of the Inflatable Aeroshell for the IRVE-3 Flight Experiment

Abstract

Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs) have been identified as a key technology for descent and landing of large payloads on Mars and other planetary bodies. The reduction in ballistic coefficient of the entry vehicle, facilitated by the low mass increase in drag area, offers lower heating rates, greater payloads, and increased mission flexibility using existing boosters. Under NASA's guidance and support, the team of Airborne Systems, including our Lake Elsinore facility (formerly Vertigo), and Oceaneering developed an Aeroshell configuration to meet and exceed the IRVE-3 (Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Flight Experiment) mission requirements. In addition to the Flight Unit, two Aeroshell Engineering Development Units (EDUs) including a Thermal Protection System (TPS) have been designed and fabricated to finalize the design and optimize structural performance of the inflatable stacked torus configuration. Material, seam and joint, subsystem, and system tests were performed to validate the design and fabrication techniques. Packaging tests were conducted to demonstrate the repeatable packaging and robustness required for efficient low volume stowage. A series of deployment tests demonstrated the capability of all components to achieve the required flight geometry. An innovative flight load test was successfully conducted to demonstrate the structural and system integrity at flight-like aerodynamic loading conditions. FEA capability using LS-DYNA was developed in parallel and supported the design and test activities. The Flight Unit incorporated all lessons and successfully passed all acceptance tests in preparation for a suborbital flight scheduled for May 2012.

Segmentation mapping and folding method of surfaces of revolution and its applications

“…Figure 19 shows the numerical results of the IRV development process. Firstly, the initial shape and the full shape of the IRV are consistent with the experimental shape of IRV-3 (Lichodziejewski et al , 2012). Then, because of the existence of the initial geometric errors of SMFM, the partial folds of IRV fail to deploy to the actual designed shape (at t = 3.96 s).…”

Systems engineering and design of a Mars Polar Research Base with a human crew

“…The crane vehicle, illustrated in Fig. 6, is a light structure with a replaceable 17.5 m inflatable heat shield, which the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) has demonstrated during a suborbital flight [47], a receptacle mechanism resembling the ISS docking system that can attach to any payload equipped with the appropriate plug and three thrusters that can be oriented so to perform rotations and translations during descent and ascent. The vehicle uses ethylene oxide as propellant and can therefore be refueled in-situ.…”