Aerodynamic Heating and Thermal Protection Systems

The interdisciplinary field of thermophysics evolved during the rapid growth of space technology. Initially, this field dealt primarily with the heating and cooling problems of space vehicles and their components. More recently, thermophysics has expanded to include such diverse yet related areas as detection of air and water pollution, energy collection, conversion and storage, resource assessment by satellite, and thermal protection of space vehicles. Of particular importance is the application of thermophysics to energy conversion and the potential for applying space technology to the solution of the expanding energy dilemma.

The present volume contains a selection of recent studies dealing with aerodynamic heating and thermal protection systems. The papers were drawn from the AIAA 15th Aerospace Sciences Meeting in Los Angeles, CA in January 1977 and the AIAA 12th Thermophysics Conference in Albuquerque, NM in June 1977, and were revised and updated especially for this volume. They have been grouped into three chapters: aerothermal environment, plume radiation, and thermal protection systems.