The proposed presentation will give an overview of a mechanically deployable entry system concept development with a comprehensive summary of the ground tests and design development completed to-date, and current plans for a small-scale flight test in the near future

Cassell, Alan

Smith, Brandon

Venkatapathy, Ethiraj

Wercinski, Paul

Yount, Bryan

NASA Technical Reports Server

April 18, 2016 
8th European Workshop on TPS and Hot-Structures 
ESTEC, Noordwijk, Netherlands 
Ethiraj Venkatapathy, 
 
Paul Wercinski, Alan Cassell, 
Brandon Smith and Bryan Yount  
NASA Ames Research Center 
ADEPT - A Mechanically Deployable Entry System 
Technology in Development at NASA 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20160005408 2019-08-31T03:19:14+00:00Z
2!
Acknowledgements!
Ø  Realizing the dream requires dedication by a large community 
of people and leadership along the way.  !
q  EDL experts at NASA Centers (Ames, Langley, Johnson, 
Goddard), JPL and APL!
q  Funding support from NASA HQ and NASA Ames (Center 
Investment funds).  !
q  Facilities – Arc-jets and Wind-tunnels at Ames and JSC!
q  Technology Partners – Bally Ribbon Mill and Thin Red Line!
Ø  ADEPT Project Leadership:!
q  Peter Gage, James Arnold, Dinesh Prabhu, Keith Peterson, Ken 
Hamm and numerous others at Ames and other NASA Centers.  !
3!
Shuttle Last Flight
July 8, 2011 
The 21st Century – Will It be as Great as 
the 20th Century for Human Exploration?

Curiosity/?
2012/2020 
MERs
Jan 4, 2004
Jan 25, 2004 PhoenixMay 25, 2008
End of Station 
~2025+ ? 
Human Mars Mission ~2035 ?
Asteroid Redirect
~2020 ?
MSR? Precursor to 
Human?
NASA TODAY  
TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE!
4!
•  Interaction and Collaboration between Mission Directorate 
•  Technology Roadmap and Investment Prioritization  
•  NRC Decadal Committee Recommended Missions  
NASA TODAY: STMD  
TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES !
5!
HUMAN MISSION TO MARS!
Technical challenges - Getting there and coming back, safely. 
 
Ø  Getting to the surface of Mars safely and with precision 
q  Humans are fragile – EDL has to be tailored for human survival 
q  Human missions require  
u ~(20mT - 40 mT) of landed mass per launch 
u MSL landed mass of 899 kg required a launch mass of 531,00 kg 
Ø  Getting back to Earth from Mars  
q  Orion derived capsule may need upgrade 
u Return velocity likely to be higher 
NASA, specifically NASA Ames, is working on both the challenges 
q  Mars Entry, Descent and Landing concept development 
q  Ablative Thermal Protection System For Earth Return  
6!
ENTRY PHYSICS!
Ø  Complex and our ability to predict has improved considerably!
q  Computational simulations, ground test facilities, and flight data !
7!
ADAPTIVE DEPLOYABLE ENTRY AND  
PLACEMENT TECHNOLOGY (ADEPT- 2011)!
The mechanically deployable and transformable concept is similar to an 
umbrella but more complex functionally.  
u  Deployable thermal protection and aerodynamic load bearing fabric system; 
u  A deployable structure behind the that reacts to the primary aerodynamic load and 
provides a simple interface to the delivered payload; 
u  A self-contained deployment system; 
u  A primary gimbal design for pivoting of the aeroshell and thereby providing GN&C. 
u  An ejectable nose heat shield for the retro-propulsion system function; 
u  A design that transforms the aeroshell into a lander configuration!
8!
ADEPT FOR HUMAN MARS MISSIONS!
9!
Project Background 
10!
Ø  ADEPT FY12-FY13 
q  STMD Game Changing Development Program 
q  Focus on 6m Venus DRM (Delivery of 1000kg lander 
with peak decel < 30 g’s) 
q  Carbon fabric arc-jet tested 100-240 W/cm2. 
q  Successful demonstration of 2m Ground Test Article 
Ø  ADEPT FY14 
q  Demonstration carbon-fabric stitched joint 
q  Project re-plan to 1m scale  
u  Potential for ‘cubesat class’ secondary payload mission 
infusion 
u  Cost effective approach for key system-level demonstrations 
Ø  ADEPT FY15/FY16 
q  Focus on 0.7m aero-loads wind tunnel test &  
0.35m SPRITE pathfinder arcjet test 
q  Development efforts - 0.7m sounding rocket flight 
 Fabric Joint Design Testing (2014)	
Carbon fabric arcjet testing (2012)	
2 m Ground Test Article (2013)	
CARBON FABRIC TESTING AT VENUS RELEVANT CONDITIONS!
11!
2m GROUND TEST ARTICLE DESIGN, BUILD AND TESTING !
12!
Rigid nose cap 
4  Layer carbon fabric 
(painted for photogrammetry) 
Each test campaign provides system knowledge in more than one system 
attribute, and many system attributes are explored by more than one test.  
1m ADEPT Technology Maturation Approach 
FY15-16 
Ejection from 
primary spacecraft 
Deployment 
Pre-Entry 
orientation 
Peak heat rate 
Thermo-structural 
loads 
FSI 
Landing loads 
Aero stability 
Shear pressure 
Component 
Structural Loads 
Shape 
Knowledge 
Gore Deflection 
(Static FSI) 
Fabric edge 
buzz/flutter 
(Dynamic FSI) 
Flight-like design 
Deployment 
reliability 
Interface with 
primary payload 
Achievable 
fabric pre-tension 
Tip-off rates 
Tech Maturation for 
Mission Infusion 
Tension 
maintenance 
under load 
Fabric system 
7x10 Wind-tunnel  
Aeroloads test 
(FY15) 
Deployment 
Prototype 
Demonstration 
(FY15) 
Sounding Rocket 
Flight Test 
SPRITE C System 
level Arc-jet 
testing 
13!
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM 7X10 TEST 
14!
SPRITE-C Pathfinder Test Article #2 
Test Video (1st Pulse 40s duration) 
15!
16!
Test Article C1 IR Video 
SPRITE-C Pathfinder Post-Test Image 
Dual heat pulse – 7.5 kJ/cm2 total stagnation point heat load	
17!
SUB 1m NANO-ADEPT
18!
3D woven carbon fabric sized for mission 
Ribs tension fabric with pockets at tips (like an umbrella) 
Struts 
Stitched and resin-infused seams 
Shoulder stitching treatments 
Payload area (2U shown for example) 
Two phase spring-deployment system  
(1- high displacement, 2- high tension) 
Avionics unit (IMU, GPS, solid memory, power) 
Other mission-specific hardware 
not shown: antennae, parachute 
Conformal TPS Nosecap 
SOUNDING ROCKET FLIGHT TEST (CY’15)!
19!
2. Yo-Yo De-spin 
3. Separate Nose Cone 
1. Launch of SpaceLoft XL 
From White Sands, NM 
5. Deployment 
6. Re-entry 
Mach ~3.1	
Peak Decel.= ~4 g	
Peak Dyn. Pressure= ~0.8 kPa	
Impact Velocity ~ 20 m/sec	
	
7. Chuteless 
Recovery in 
WSMR 
4. ADEPT Ejection 
Predicted 
Trajectory	
CONOP
S	
Deployment 
(Prototype with carbon fabric skirt – Slo-mo)	
1m ADEPT Mission Pull (Discovery class) 
Earth	
Mars	
Science Pull: 	
- Global distribution, low cost	
- Numerous landers	
-De-orbit Capability	
-22 N thruster incorporated with green propellant	
-6 ea, 3U slots for subsystems or payloads	
LEO Return: Secondary on Upper Stage, ISS Downmass 
or free-flyer on Super Strypi class LV	
Venus	
Science Pull: 	
   - Delivery of In-situ atmosphere science instruments. 	
   - Achieve low deceleration loads for sensitive instruments	
21!
Titan	
-  Lifting ADEPT configuration allows aerocapture 
at Titan, effective thermal control with open-back 
configuration	
Dandelander (Malin SSS): 
Cubesat distributed surface 
network concept 	
A SCALABLE ADEPT EDL ARCHITECTURE  
MISSION INFUSION OPPORTUNITIES!
22!
Total Global surface access 
No supersonic chutes 
Nano-ADEPT ( < 1m & 5 kg) 
Small Science Payload  
(Earth, Mars, Venus) Human/ Heavy Mass 
Mars Mission and 
Design Studies              
FY’11 
ADEPT Project 
TRL Maturation 
FY’12 – FY’13 
ADEPT Full-Scale 
Demonstrator Project 
FY’2014-17 
Ballistic Robotic Mars, 10m 
(2020+) 
ADEPT Lifting    
(FY’16 – FY’18) 
Large Scale 
Lifting Concept 
Flight Demos 
( > FY’2026) 
Human Mars (> 2035)  
(15m – 23m) 
Ballistic –Venus, 6m 
VISE Lander (~2017) 
(6m – 15 m) 
Venus Lifting (2018+)  
- Aerocapture 
Mars Robotic Lifting 
Precursor (2020+) 
 
SUMMARY REMARKS!
Ø  Mars has been and continues to be both an exciting and a 
challenging place to explore 
q  We have reached the limit of EDL technology with MSL 
q  Landing large payloads and human at Mars is a grand challenge 
u Combination of innovation and new technologies needed 
Ø  Mechanically deployable entry system, ADEPT, is a game 
changing concept that has the potential 
q  Within 5 years, retrieving small-satellites from around earth 
orbit and send small payload to Mars and Venus.   
q  Within a decade, enable cost effective, in-situ missions to 
robotic science exploration 
q  In the longer term, the concept and the robotic experiences at 
earth, Venus and Mars can enable Human Mars missions   
23!
Thank you!
!
Questions?!
24!


ADEPT - A Mechanically Deployable Entry System Technology in Development at NASA

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NASA Technical Reports Server