AAS 95-424

Result of a Feasibility Study on the Use of High Lift to Drag Vehicles for Aerocapture for Non-Optimized Trajectories

P. Crouse and M. Lewis, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD

Abstract

This work reviews the use of aerodynamic forces to modify the velocity, and therefore, the orbital path of vehicles due to transit through planetary atmospheres. The concepts of aerobraking and arocapture are examined, and the limiting factors of each are discussed. The feasibility of using a high lift to drag (L/D) vehicle is examined for aerocapture missions to Mars and Jupiter. Potential advantages and disadvantages associated with the use of High L/D vehicles for aerocapture are addressed. This study compares and contrasts the performance of two high l/D vehicles with a 0.8 L/D spacecraft for non-optimized aerocapture trajectories.