Studying the aerodynamics and stability of vehicles that transport samples, from atmospheric entry to flight on Mars.
Understanding vehicles that bring samples home
Sample-return missions bring extraterrestrial material to Earth for detailed analysis. Understanding the behaviour of vehicles in an atmosphere is one of the challenges involved in transporting these samples reliably.
Our research uses computational fluid dynamics to investigate the attitude stability of entry capsules and the flight of rockets in the Martian environment.
Connecting flow physics and vehicle motion
- Flow around atmospheric-entry capsules and their dynamic stability
- Aerodynamic characteristics of rockets flying on Mars
- Multiobjective vehicle design, including propulsion-system choices
Numerical simulations help us understand the surrounding flow and connect aerodynamic forces and vehicle motion to design decisions. Related research in the laboratory also addresses plume–surface interaction during Mars landing and deployable flexible aeroshells.