Aerodynamic characteristics of re-entry capsules with hyperbolic contours

Abstract

For most re-entry capsules, the shape of the forebody of the capsule is designed based on the blunted nose cone. A similar shape can be created using a hyperboloid of revolution that can control the nose bluntness and the half angle of the cone easily. In this study, the hypersonic aerodynamic characteristics of re-entry capsules designed with hyperbolic contours were investigated using the CFD code, FaSTAR, developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The CFD results showed that, using the hyperbolic contours, the drag and lift coefficients can be increased compared to those for the Hayabusa re-entry capsule without changing the shape of the capsule drastically. This suggests that shape design based on the hyperbolic contours can improve the aerodynamic characteristics of re-entry capsules.