Wind Tunnel Investigations on Dynamic Characteristics of Earth-Returning Vehicle

Abstract

The dynamic characteristics of a model of the earth-returning vehicle (HTV-R) were investigated in a supersonic wind tunnel. The free rotational technique was employed in the test. Two kinds of the test devices were prepared with different degrees of freedom. The 1-DOF device allowed the model to rotate only around a pitch axis, and the 3-DOF device allowed the model to rotate around the pitch, yaw and roll axes. The dynamic tests were carried out in a flow of Mach 1.5. Both the 1-DOF and 3-DOF tests gave the similar results on the damping and static aerodynamic properties in pitch. The rolling behavior was observed in 3-DOF test which was considered related to the uneven inertial properties.