Performance Extension Advanced Ablator Families

Problem Statement and Objectives

In support of the In-Space Propulsion Technologies (ISPT) Aerocapture Project, NASA/JSC and NASA/LaRC needed to define charring ablators available for use on aero-assist missions to Titan, Neptune, and other deep-space destinations, and define aeroshell structures that can meet mission requirements and are most compatible with these ablators.

ARA was called in to support this initiative and provided the following:

produced a subscale demonstration unit
ran solar radiation tests of candidate ablators to evaluate and rank performance
produced and tested TPS materials for Mars missions
tested, characterized, and modeled ablator performance in nitrogen as well as air atmospheres
tested ablators with in-situ recession gauges supplied by NASA/Ames
tested ablator-to-adhesive bond strengths to support adhesive selection for flight missions and to provide data for manufacturing process development

Results and Benefits

Determined best candidates for heat-shield materials built upon successful ablative materials of past NASA projects.

abolator

Ellipsed charring ablator shield produced by SCBA manufacturing process using sub-assemblies of laser milled ablator strip-collars.