Advanced Discrimination Technologies and Concepts

The innovation for this Phase I program is the development of advanced high-fidelity techniques for the analysis of moving transient plumes at high altitudes, accounting for their distortion and trajectory changes due to interactions with the surrounding atmosphere, as well as procedures for performing detailed 6DOF analyses of aerodynamic bodies traversing through such moving plumes. Transient plumes at exo altitudes will be simulated using new hybrid continuum / direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) techniques now under development for analyzing higher altitude steady-state rocket plumes and divert jets. In the hybrid approach, the continuum solution is interfaced with the DSMC solution along a continuum breakdown surface, which for transient plumes, is continually changing with time. Dynamic grid adaption techniques will be utilized whereby the grid moves with the expanding plume, conforms to its contour, and concentrates grid points in high density zones. A scope-out study of validation experiments to support this advanced model development will also be performed.