Thermal protection system technologies that would allow a Space Shuttle-like vehicle to be turned around in 8h or less are being investigated by the University of Dayton Research Institute.
Under the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Fully-reusable Access to Space Technology programme, Institute researchers are developing materials that can be used as large lightweight panels, rather than the Shuttle's ceramic tiles, and withstand the temperature and vibration during launch and re-entry.
The institute is also investigating new panel-fixing methods, including a mechanical attachment with quick-release mechanism to enable the rapid removal of damaged sections for repair or replacement. Shuttle tiles are bonded on, and the quick-release mechanism would have to cope with the thermal expansion and flexing stresses that occur in flight.
Also under investigation is an automated structural health-monitoring system that would use sensors to detect changes in the vibration responses of TPS panels that can flag potential troublespots, such as a crack hidden beneath a panel. This could analyse TPS integrity in a fraction of the weeks it takes to inspect the Shuttle.
"We want to be able to fly space vehicles the way we fly aircraft - land them, inspect them, refurbish them and get them back out," says UDRI aerospace mechanics division research engineer Tim Fry. "Currently, it takes thousands of man hours to ready a Shuttle for relaunch in terms of the TPS alone. We want to cut that time down to about 8h."
Source: Flight International
