Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI-ACO)

Sierra Space Corporation, in collaboration with NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) will utilize NASA's Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI) capability to obtain calibrated temperature imagery of Dream Chaser's thermal protection system during hypersonic reentry. This effort will help advance the scientific community's understanding of the re-entry thermal environment, assess Dream Chaser's vehicle performance margins (potentially providing more down-mass from ISS and increased cross-range performance), and provide validation data for thermal re-entry models. The first objective of this task is to utilize in-flight surface temperature inferred from discrete thermocouples along with global thermal temperature maps to confirm the thermal environment, enabling Sierra Space to improve predictions for follow-up missions, optimize the Uncrewed Dream Chaser (UDC) thermal protection system (TPS) design to reduce weight and increase down-mass benefiting NASA directly in payload costs. The second objective is to share the invaluable in-situ thermocouple data obtained on an integrated vehicle in flight (of which little exists) with the greater NASA engineering community, and perhaps the research community as a whole, to benchmark hypersonic modeling predictions and the quantification of uncertainties. Since the UDC thermal models are based on NASA tools (e.g. wind tunnels, and CFD) these thermocouple data would provide further flight validation of these tools. The third objective is to provide unique measurements to further understanding of complex flow phenomenology such as hypersonic shock-boundary layer interaction and boundary layer transition onset to the hypersonic engineering communities within NASA, the DoD, and the commercial sector. Complimentary ground systems will augment the airborne observation campaign and provide a wider range of Mach number coverage.   

​The primary benefit of this task is obtaining high spatial resolution surface temperature of the Dream Chaser heatshield during hypersonic reentry. The remote measurements are obtained non-intrusively without impacting vehicle size, weight, and power requirements and thus not impacting the vehicle's launch schedule.The first objective of this task is to utilize in-flight surface temperature inferred from discrete thermocouples along with global thermal temperature maps to confirm the thermal environment, enabling Sierra Space to improve predictions for follow-up missions, optimize the Uncrewed Dream Chaser (UDC) thermal protection system (TPS) design to reduce weight and increase down-mass and or cross-range, benefiting NASA directly in payload costs and/or mission flexibility. The second objective is to share the invaluable in-situ thermocouple data obtained on an integrated vehicle in flight (of which little exists) with the greater NASA engineering community, and perhaps the research community as a whole, to benchmark hypersonic modeling predictions and the quantification of uncertainties. Since the UDC thermal models are based on NASA tools (e.g. wind tunnels, and CFD), these thermocouple data will provide further flight validation of these tools. The third objective is to provide unique measurements to further understanding of complex flow phenomenology such as hypersonic shock-boundary layer interaction and boundary layer transition onset to the hypersonic engineering communities within NASA, the Department of Defense, and the commercial sector.​

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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