Computational Fluids and Aerodynamics Laboratory
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active2025–2027

Design of Aerothermal Protection Systems for Cargo Downmassing

Design and analysis of thermal protection systems for high-speed atmospheric entry vehicles used to return cargo to Earth, addressing aerothermal loading during hypersonic reentry.

Sponsor
U.S. Air Force (subcontract through Cardinal Engineering)
Funding
$295,000
Collaborators
Cardinal Engineering

Team

SL

M.S. Student

Sebastian Lopez

Reentry vehicle design; inflatable heat shields and control

Related Publications

2026

Water Droplet Breakup in a Hypersonic Shock Environment

M Lindsay, SM Briggs, AJ Aguilera, S Vasu, M Kinzel, S Grace, et al.

AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 1736, 2026

2026

A Semi-Empirical Model of the Heatshield Separation: Application to Titan

EG Clutter, M Kinzel, P do Vale Pereira

AIAA SCITECH 2026 Forum, 0702, 2026

2026

Effect of Entrapped Non-condensable Gas on Shock-Driven Droplet Deformation: Implications for Hypersonic Rain Environments

JP Roldan, B Cavainolo, R Shannon, GA Jaramillo, S Grace, M Kinzel

27th AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies …, 2026

2025

Entry Capsule Heatshield Transpiration Cooling Effects Observed in Boundary Layer

C Anderson, MP Kinzel, AJ Brune

AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum, 1038, 2025

2025

Dragonfly: An Evaluation of the Unsteady Aerodynamics of Heatshield Separation on Titan

EG Clutter, MP Kinzel

AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum, 2549, 2025

2025

Strategies in CFD Modeling: Hypersonic Cargo Delivery Gliders Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

SA Lopez, ZA Miles, MP Kinzel

AIAA SCITECH 2025 Forum, 1923, 2025

2024

DragonFly: A Study of the Effect of the Heatshield Separation

EG Clutter, M Kinzel

AIAA AVIATION FORUM AND ASCEND 2024, 3935, 2024

2024

A Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Cavitation on Hypersonic Shock-Raindrop Interaction and Breakup

R Forehand, K Nguyen, SM Briggs, N Berube, S Vasu, MP Kinzel, et al.

AIAA SCITECH 2024 Forum, 2192, 2024

2024

Numerical Implementation of Source Terms to Evaluate Active Porosity Control using a Transpiration Cooled Thermal Protection System

C Anderson, M Kinzel, AJ Brune

AIAA AVIATION FORUM AND ASCEND 2024, 3542, 2024

2024

Understanding Heat Transfer Effects on Hypersonic Flow: Implications for Aerodynamic Design

K Pionessa, MP Kinzel

AIAA SCITECH 2024 Forum, 1971, 2024

2024

Data-driven modeling to predict aerodynamic loads on reentry vehicles

ZA Miles, M Kinzel, S Lopez

AIAA AVIATION FORUM AND ASCEND 2024, 4410, 2024

2023

Numerical Evaluation of Entry System Trajectory Control via Active Porosity Control of Transpiration Cooled Thermal Protection System

C Anderson, MP Kinzel

AIAA SCITECH 2023 Forum, 0391, 2023

2023

A Numerical Assessment of Hypersonic Raindrop Interaction: Understanding Cavitation-Induced Fragmentation

R Forehand, K Nguyen, M Kinzel

Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 2023

2023

Numerical Modeling of Compression Waves for Hypersonic Shock-Cylinder Interaction with Cavitation

K Nguyen, R Forehand, M Kinzel, S Grace

Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 2023

2020

In-situ xrd characterization of multilayered ceramic composite systems for hypersonic applications

J Hernandez, Q Fouliard, C Anderson, M Northam, K Vo, J Clabaugh, et al.

23rd AIAA International Space Planes and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies …, 2020