Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

NASA funded: Deliver improved DSMC modeling capability for use on ISS station keeping. Deliver predictive capability for parachute descent dynamics with direct benefit to Orion/CPAS. NASA unfunded: Deliver new validated capability to calculate dynamic stability derivatives, with direct benefit to all future entry missions. Develop validated parachute descent modeling capability with direct benefit for all missions with parachutes, with a particular focus on Mars applications. OGA: An active partnership with AFOSR ensures that NASA and DoD invest in complimentary areas. Both agencies have a direct interest in thermochemical nonequilibrium flows. Commercial: All of EDL Modeling and Simulation is of direct benefit to commercial space. Commercial companies generally rely on NASA developed tools for in-house EDL analysis (including aerothermodynamics), and thus directly benefit from improvements to those tools. Nation: EDL Modeling and Simulation is an enabling capability for spaceflight. Our ability to conduct larger and more complex missions is limited first and foremost by cost, which is a strong function of how well we understand the required system performance. By developing higher fidelity, more accurate predictive M&S capability we enable the customer to make better informed decisions and to better understand performance limits of current and future technologies. A natural consequence is increased reliability, lower mass, and a better understanding of when a fundamentally new technology is in fact required to meet mission objectives.