Overview and Status of Entry, Descend, and Landing at NASA / An overview of plume-surface interaction testing and research
We are delighted to promote a unique opportunity to engage with leading scientists at NASA. In this event Dr Kurzun (Senior Technical Lead for Retropropulsion and PSI ) and Dr Chambers (Natural Environments at Marshall Space Flight Center) will give an overview of the latest activities in research at NASA and will answer questions from the audience. Dr Gilles Billet, Dr Andrea Cammarano and Dr Hossein Zare-Behtash on behalf of the Space and Exploration Technology Group, James Watt School of Engineering.
James Watt School of Engineering
Date: Thursday 24 August 2023
Time: 14:00 - 16:30
Venue: Kelvin Hall LT (G59)
Category: Public lectures
Speaker: Dr Ashley Korzun and Dr Wesley Chambers
Overview and Status of Entry, Descent, and Landing at NASA
Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) is a key capability at NASA enabling space mission success. EDL technology development supports NASA’s human, planetary, and commercial exploration objectives as we return to and explore new planetary destinations. This seminar will highlight the EDL phases of NASA missions in development and discussion maturation of critical technologies that enable human exploration goals and meet priorities of the Planetary Science Decadal Survey.
An overview of plume-surface interaction testing and research
NASA has studied rocket plume-surface interactions caused by spacecraft since the Apollo era to reduce risk to landing vehicles. The study of plume-surface interactions is a multi-discipline effort, spanning aerospace engineering to planetary science. Historical testing for Apollo and Viking produced methods, terms, and datasets that influence the field today. Research conducted over the past two decades has expanded our understanding of plume-surface interaction phenomena, but the problem remains resistant to a robust predictive capability. Contemporary experimental and modeling efforts to understand and retire strategic knowledge gaps will be discussed, with a focus on work conducted under NASA’s Plume-Surface Interaction Project and the upcoming Human Landing System Plume-Surface Interaction Risk Reduction Ground Test.