The proposed first through fourth generation of future NASA Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) within NASA will be described, in general, along with their relative goals for improvement in performance (i.e., cost, safety, life, and turnaround time). A brief description of Spaceliner 100 activities representing a means to achieve those goals will be included. Some of the families of thermal protection materials with widely varying characteristics that are being developed for first generation space vehicles at Ames Research Center will be described as well as potential materials and composites for second and third generation applications as systems. These families of materials include functionally gradient material composites that are made from a variety of low-density substrates and moderate to fully dense surface treatments providing the resultant material with both toughness and higher temperature capability opening the envelope of Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) capabilities. Some of the materials truly represent enabling technologies that are required to achieve substantially enhanced thermal protection system performance thereby reducing vehicle risk. Finally the needs for integrated vehicle health monitoring (IVHM) of future vehicles thermal protection systems relative to achieving the goals for third generation reusable launch vehicles and for improving vehicle performance and capabilities reducing risk will be described along with the state of the art in TPS.
Thermal Protection Systems for Future NASA Space Vehicles
Aeromat 2000 ; 2000 ; Bellevue, WA, United States
2000-01-01
Preprint
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Thermal Protection Systems for Future Reusable Launch Vehicles
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