Duration: 36 months
The physics of destructive atmospheric re-entry at hyper-velocities is highly complex, involving thermochemical non-equilibrium, intense convective and radiative heat fluxes, and surface ablation phenomena that significantly influence gas-surface interactions and thermal predictions. Despite the diverse efforts put forward to fully understand and predict this process, many uncertainties still affect our ability to design future satellites that can be disposed safely by means of destructive atmospheric re-entry. The overarching objective of project NEMO is to advance our knowledge of the impact of ablation on the non-equilibrium aerothermodynamics of a cloud of re-entering debris by means of beyond state-of-the-art computer models and simulations. NEMO will allow making more informed design for demise choices and will allow developing future integrated numerical and experimental research, informing future re-entry prediction tools, particularly regarding ablation–aerothermodynamics coupling, and contributing to more accurate studies on ground impact and atmospheric changes from increased re-entries, while also enriching the broader field of multi-physics hypersonics through new insights into complex non-equilibrium flow phenomena
