Technological Step Stones in Support to Future Space Transportation Systems

Abstract

The increasing role of the computational fluid dynamics in the design process of space transportation vehicls is here emphasized. The coupling of CFD with many disciplines is being possible due to the use of modern computational cluster resources and due to the validation of the applied numerical tools by means of carefully designed experiments for ground based facilities and for in-flight demonstration. But CFD, wind tunnel test and flight experiments have also shortcomings. While high fidelity CFD results are today based on the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations, they still require validated physical models. Improvements of these models require considerable progress in novel measurement techniques and combination of systematic, efficient and more demanding ground tests and in-flight experiments. Thus, in order to advance hypersonic space transportation CFD, ground based testing and flight experiments, need to be continuously improved and linked in an optimal manner.