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Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
Heat shield manufacturing has changed little in the last 60 years. State of the art designs utilize tiled, or block, configurations fabricated in segments and individually bonded to the vehicle structure. Gaps between blocks are then filled. These processes are hands on, labor intensive, and involve long lead times. A return to the Moon and eventual human missions to Mars will require significant improvements over current manufacturing capabilities to support a scale up both in the quantity and size of heat shields. Regular payload return to Earth will be crucial to enabling a sustainable lunar presence. Missions to Mars will require large thermal protection system (TPS) acreage covering multiple entry vehicles. Furthermore, there are relatively few qualified TPS materials available for design. These materials are typically point solutions, i.e., a single formulation, which may not be optimal for a given mission.
This project seeks to mature an additive manufacturing (AM) approach for heat shield fabrication initiated through the STMD Center Innovation Fund. AM allows a TPS material to be robotically deposited and cured directly on a structure in a monolithic segment, reducing hands-on labor and simplifying integration. A range of TPS material formulations will be developed and characterized which allow composition to be varied, or graded, through the thickness. Material layers can be tailored to mission requirements.
The core project team is comprised almost entirely of early career personnel spanning three NASA centers and a university. We’re partnering with two prestigious institutions, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Kentucky (UK), national leaders in manufacturing and small capsule flight testing, respectively. Three senior NASA JSC engineers with a wealth of experience will mentor the team. The project represents an important opportunity to continue, and indeed grow, NASA’s leadership in TPS engineering into the next generation.
Develop an automated, scalable additive manufacturing (AM) process for heat shields; design and characterize printable, graded TPS formulations; fabricate 1-meter manufacturing development unit and flight test an AM capsule.
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