Conceptual design of a 'SHARP' - CTV

The design of a crew transfer vehicle that makes use of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs) is investigated. The use of UHTCs may permit the design of hypersonic re-entry vehicles with sharp leading edges, which in turn lead to improved hypersonic aerodynamic performance. The current crew transfer vehicle is designed to meet the same mission and vehicle requirements as the NASA Langley conceptual HL-20 crew transfer vehicle. A direct comparison of the conventional blunt, lifting body of the HL-20 to the current, sharp leading edge vehicle highlights a number of important differences, the primary one being the increased cross range capability of sharp leading edge vehicles. This increased cross range can have a direct impact of the overall vehicle safety during an abort situation, and provides a high degree of flexibility on selecting the reentry trajectory.