An Asymmetric Capsule Vehicle geometry study for CEV

An asymmetric heatshield configuration named Asymmetric Capsule Vehicle, intended for use as the basis for an atmospheric entry, is introduced. The aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic behavior of this new class of heatshield geometries is examined in the supersonic and hypersonic flow regimes using both high-fidelity and engineering analysis techniques, and compared to the performance of heatshields derived from the asymmetric Aeroassist Flight Experiment (AFE) and the symmetric Apollo configurations. The geometry of this new class of heatshield is described analytically and involves a small set of parameters suitable for inclusion in an optimization process. Two particular optimized configurations, the ACVOpt and ACVeOpt2 heatshield shapes, prove to have - (1) higher L/D aerodynamic performance, and (2) lower convective and radiative heating compared to the Apollo-derived symmetric shape. These configurations also do not have the supersonic trim stability issue found to occur with the asymmetric AFE-derived shape.