| Atmospheric entry capsules are frequently fitted with rocket nozzles as part of a Reaction Control System (RCS), which is used for attitude control and guidance maneuvers during entry. These rocket nozzles are installed on the rear wall of the capsule and the interaction of their exhaust with capsule's wake causes changes in aeroheating and aerodynamics. Changes in aeroheating may influence design of Thermal Protection System (TPS) and material secection, while changes in the surface pressure can cause unbalanced moments on the capsule and interfere with the native RCS control authority. Aerodynamic initerference of RCS must be understood and bounded for a sound controller design. The method to analyze aerothermal and aerodynamic effects of RCS on blunt capsules, presented in this dissertation, has been used in analyses of Mars Phoenix, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Crewed Exploration Vehicle (CEV) RCS. As a result a working RCS design paradigm has been developed. This paradigm has been successfully applied to the design of RCS of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) entry capsule. |
