Thermochemical nonequilibrium viscous shock layer studies of the orbital reentry experiment (OREX) vehicle

Abstract.

In 1994, the Orbital Reentry Experiment (OREX) was conducted by the National Aerospace Laboratory and National Space Development Agency of Japan. During this experiment aerodynamic heating and saturated ion current were successfully measured. In this paper, the thermochemical nonequilibrium shock layer of the OREX vehicle has been reconstructed using a VSL (Viscous Shock Layer) numerical simulation. In addition, heating to the OREX vehicle and electron density have been calculated and compared with the flight data. The numerical simulation has been made for the flight conditions at altitudes ranging from 96.7 km to 59.6 km, using a three temperature model composed of translational-rotational, vibrational and electron-electronic temperatures. The catalytic efficiency of the coating material on the nose of the vehicle was determined by comparing the flight data for heat flux with the numerical result for the finite catalytic wall. The calculated electron density values were in approximate agreement with the flight values.