TETHERED AEROTHERMODYNAMIC RESEARCH NEEDS

It is widely recognized that there exist significant gaps in our understanding of the aerothermodynamics of flow in regimes that are both hypersonic and rarefied. We refer here principally to flows of orbital velocity at altitudes of 90 km and above. In this paper, we identify and discuss needs for new information essential to progress on problems of design and computation for flight in these regimes. Measurement requirements implied by research needs are discussed in the context of a tethered research satellite. This vehicle is of the approximate mass and general sophistication of the proposed TSS-2. Recent estimates of drag, and tether and vehicle temperature, provide background materials for the discussion.