This chapter deals with the aerodynamic performance analysis of three reusable and unmanned aerial vehicles conceived as flying laboratories to perform experimental flights in low Earth orbit (LEO). Each vehicle concept is an orbital re‐entry vehicle (ORV), with re‐entry energy of the order of 25 MJ/kg. The chapter shows the vehicle configuration of ORV‐WSB, ORV‐WBB, and ORV‐SB. From the perspective of aerospace vehicle designers, the emphasis is on aerodynamic performance, stability, control, vehicle surface pressure, and shear and heating loads. The considered vehicle concepts feature a compact wing‐body configuration equipped with a rounded‐edge delta‐like fuselage cross section, a delta wing, and a V‐tail. The chapter also talks about rarefied and transitional regimes for ORV concepts. The ORV re‐entry trajectory is reported in the Mach‐Reynolds numbers map together with iso‐Knudsen curves, which bound the different flow regimes, according to the Bird regime classification.


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    Title :

    Aerodynamic Performance Analysis of Three Different Unmanned Re‐entry Vehicles


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2017-04-03


    Size :

    94 pages




    Type of media :

    Article/Chapter (Book)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English