The Effect of Catalycity on the Heating of the X-38 Shape

The flow past the X-38 vehicle is numerically investigated for the trajectory point at 73 km altitude. At this regime the total temperature and the present length scale allow dissociation and vibrational excitation of the molecules in the air mixture. The equilibrium assumption of these processes is sometimes sufficient for aerodynamic purposes. The heating prediction of this simplified model produces an upper limit of the possible heat loads. The results of nonequilibrium flow simulation point out of influence of catalicity on the heating of the X-38 shape. A significant reduction of the surface heating is found for the finite catalytic behaviour in comparison to that one of a fully catalytic wall