Orion TPS test.mpg

Shown here is NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle thermal protection system being tested in one of three of AEDC's High-Enthalpy Arc-Heated Facilities. Protection materials, such as tiles on the Space Shuttle, are tested to ensure they will withstand the high temperatures and pressures during re-entry back into the Earth's atmosphere.

These facilities are the sole Department of Defense arc facilities in operation. They can provide high-enthalpy test conditions that simulate aeroheating environments at velocities from 5,000 feet per second up to and exceeding 20,000 feet per second.

Arc facilities are unique in their ability to reproduce thermal environments simulating flight from Mach 8 to 20 for the long exposure periods required to validate thermostructural performance and survivability of materials and components. Arc heaters have found widespread usage in the development of high-speed vehicles, including hypersonic missiles, re-entry vehicles, high-speed transports, military/civil space transportation and space access vehicles, and ordnance and munitions systems.

To learn more about these facilities, go to http://www.arnold.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=13894.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA CEV
• Orion CEV
• Arc heater