Comparative study of phasing, atmospheric skip entry, and simple plane change maneuvers

Authors

• Robert A. Bettinger, Air Force Institute of TechnologyFollow
• Jonathan T. Black, Air Force Institute of Technology

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-2014

Abstract

A suite of maneuvers comprising planar phasing, out-of-plane skip entry, and simple plane changes is simulated for a notional transatmospheric, lifting reentry vehicle with lift-to-drag ratio of six. By comparing the relative performance of each maneuver by overflying geographically diverse sample ground targets, it is demonstrated that skip entry maneuvers require a total Δ⁢V less than 0.5  km/s. For select targets and a single initial reference orbit, simulation results demonstrate a significant savings in Δ⁢V expenditure for skip entry compared with the simple plane change alternative. Overall, the simulated skip entry maneuvers consistently provide responsive mission execution in terms of ground target time of arrival, with maximum deceleration and stagnation heat flux less than 1.0⁢g and 1000  kW/m², respectively.

Comments

The full-text of this article is available from AIAA via subscription or purchase, using the DOI link below.

DOI

10.2514/1.A32872

Source Publication

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (ISSN 0022-4650 | eISSN 1533-6794)

Recommended Citation

Bettinger, R. A., & Black, J. T. (2014). Comparative study of phasing, atmospheric skip entry, and simple plane change maneuvers. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 51(6), 1965–1975. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.A32872