Development of Hot Structures Materials for Inflatable Heat Shield

Innovative low cost, lightweight, durable structural concepts that feature simple robust designs, efficient packaging, and assembly are critical to the development of pressurized inflatable systems for NASA future space explorations. Advanced development of high-temperature resistant fibrous material concepts that do not require parasitic thermal protection systems is essential to meet these goals. CFDRC research team proposes a high performance Structural Inflatable Heat Shield (SIHS) featuring a flexible-deployable thermal protection system (FTPS) that simultaneously performs as mass-optimized hot structure capable of supporting the mechanical loads associated with atmospheric entry. The proposed innovation facilitates reduction of heat shield mass fraction by balancing the vehicle entry parameters with heat shield diameter to take maximum advantage of the shield's mechanical and thermal capabilities. Phase I effort will focus on identification and testing of high performance, high-temperature materials. An integrated test and analysis techniques will be utilized to fully characterize the hot materials for light-weight deployable structures and to fully capture the combined effects of processing, microstructure fiber geometry, temperature-related properties and performance. Phase II will focus on fabricating a subscale prototype of FTPS-based inflatable structure, and conduct extensive strain and thermal testing and analysis of the SIHS under different thermal and structural loading conditions.

Direct NASA applications with present and future inflatable structures programs include long term manned spaceflight habitats, and those missions seeking to provide deceleration and precision landing capability for large scale mass return from Earth orbit to Earth surface or for missions to many of the potential atmosphere-endowed solar system destinations. Other NASA applications include design and analysis of space-based inflatable structures such as telescopes, antenna reflectors, solar collectors, lander airbags, cryogenic propellant tanks, debris shields, Martian air ships and rover vehicles.

Non-NASA commercial applications include satellite de-orbit devices, compressed air energy storage, high altitude airships, fuel and oxidizer containment, deep space antenna reflector for ground stations, antenna radome, emergency shelters, and troop shelters with integrated ballistic protection

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