Provides a means to acquire flight data for thermal protection system design of planetary entry vehicles Provides a means to acquire flight data to enable use of existing systems in more extreme environments with minimal risk Provides vehicle performance data (mass loss) during entry for atmosphere structure investigation (relevant for outer planets) The technology can be used for several planetary entry missions including, but not limited to, Earth entries, Sample Return missions, and Mars, Venus, and Outer Planet entries. As commercial space industry develops advanced spaceflight hardware, it will benefit from technologies such as this sensor suite in order to develop systems for more extreme return trajectories, and explore other planets. The technology will have benefits for any entry missions that use ablative thermal protection systems including the ones undertaken by the Department of Defense.
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