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The disclosed technology provides a multistage system for evaluating the free-flight behavior of test articles across of the supersonic, transonic, and subsonic regimes. First, a drop platform is lifted to high altitudes using a lifting device, such as a stratospheric balloon. The drop platform houses multiple projectiles, each containing an ejection mechanism, an on-board avionics suit, and an instrumented test article. Upon reaching the target altitude via the lifting device, the drop platform releases the projectiles sequentially. Each projectile accelerates to a target speed and altitude before ejecting its test article into the freestream. The test articles, such as a scaled re-entry capsule, then collect flight data during their descent through the various Mach regimes, providing valuable insights into their flight performance under mission-relevant conditions. This innovative testing system offers several benefits. It enables the simultaneous testing of multiple vehicles, facilitating the evaluation of design variations as well as statistical analyses of vehicle behavior. This system also provides significant cost savings in comparison to other state-of-the-art testing methods, such as ballistic range testing. Additionally, the test articles within each projectile are easily interchangeable through a simple, modular change of a support surface in the ejection mechanism. This flexibility enables the system to accommodate a range of other aerodynamic technologies, including other vehicles, parachutes, propulsion systems, and defense technologies. This system can enhance the efficiency and robustness of reentry vehicle design, testing, and simulation operations through the collection of rich, flight-relevant data.

Flexible PICAs combine both carbon and phenolic fiber constituents during a felting process rather than introducing a phenolic through infusion processes that also uses harsh chemicals. MERINO PICA-Flex materials drastically reduces integration complexities when compared to traditional phenolic infused rigid tiles, and can eliminate the costly and time intensive phenolic infusion process, resulting in a thermal protection system (TPS) material more akin to a “blanket” than a rigid TPS. PICA-Flex encompasses a range of configurations, including a dual layer PICA-Flex material with a higher density outer layer(s) to minimize recession, a lower density PICA-Flex material with applicability to aftbody TPS, and a single piece PICA-Flex forebody. PICA-Flex is fabricated by combining by intermingling both carbon and phenolic fiber constituents during a needle punch felting process during which the fibers are made into battings, and the battings are needled together layer-by-layer to build up thickness.

This novel flightpath control system exploits the dihedral effect to control the bank angle of the vehicle by modulating sideslip (Figure 1). Exploiting the dihedral effect, in combination with significant aerodynamic forces, enables faster bank accelerations than could be practically achieved through typical control strategies, enhancing vehicle maneuverability. This approach enables vehicle designs with fewer control actuators since roll-specific actuators are not required to regulate bank angle. The proposed control method has been studied with three actuator systems (figure below), Flaps Control System (FCS); Mass Movement Control System (MMCS); and Reaction Control System (RCS). • FCS consists of a flap configuration with longitudinal flaps for independent pitch control, and lateral flaps generating yaw moments. The flaps are mounted to the shoulder of the vehicle’s deployable rib structure. Additionally, the flaps are commanded and controlled to rotate into or out of the flow. This creates changes in the vehicle’s aerodynamics to maneuver the vehicle without the use of thrusters. • MMCS consists of moveable masses that are mounted to several ribs of the DEV heatshield, steering the vehicle by shifting the vehicle’s Center of Mass (CoM). Shifting the vehicle’s CoM adjusts the moment arms of the forces on the vehicle and changes the pitch and yaw moments to control the vehicle’s flightpath. • RCS thrusters are mounted to four ribs of the open-back DEV heatshield structure to provide efficient bank angle control of the vehicle by changing the vehicle’s roll. Combining rib-mounted RCS thrusters with a Deployable Entry Vehicle (DEV) is expected to provide greater downmass capability than a rigid capsule sized for the same launch