1-3 of 3 results
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Ab initio computation of gas radiation properties for re-entry flow simulations
PI Eric Perrell
CO-I Fanny Thomas
CO-I Spatika Iyengar
Renewed interest in planetary atmospheric entry, descent, and landing underscores the need for improved physics modeling in computational fluid dynamics. From a recent NASA solicitation, “the current state of the art for predicting aerothermal environments for planetary entry are dependent on physical models and underlying numerical methods that are, in many cases, two to five decades old.” Uncertainty in experimental data used in radiation heat transfer computations leads to, “over-engineering” of entry body heat shields, at a large weight and cost penalty. A method for computing gas emissivity and absorptivity from quantum mechanics principles is developed.
Read moreCategories: Faculty-Staff
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Astroparticle Physics
PI Darrel Smith
CO-I Brennan Hughey
In the 1950's and 1960's, high-energy and cosmic-ray physics developed into two different fields of research. However, in the last twenty years they have come together in a most peculiar way. As space physicists explored the sources and mechanisms for producing cosmic rays, they also realized that it was impossible to measure the dynamics of the early universe (i.e., the first 400,000 years).
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Exotic Propulsion
PI Darrel Smith
Exotic propulsion has captured the interest of many Embry-Riddle students. As NASA plans its manned mission to Mars, we come face-to-face with a fundamental dilemma -- a round trip to Mars will take almost three years with traditional chemical rockets!
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1-3 of 3 results