Assessment of high enthalpy flow conditions for re-entry aerothermodynamics in the plasma wind tunnel facilities at IRS

This article presents the full operational experimental capabilities of the plasma wind tunnel facilities at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart. The simulation of the aerothermodynamic environment experienced by vehicles entering the atmosphere of Earth is attempted using three different facilities. Utilizing the three different facilities, the recent improvements enable a unique range of flow conditions in relation to other known facilities. Recent performance optimizations are highlighted in this article. Based on the experimental conditions demonstrated a corresponding flight scenario is derived using a ground-to-flight extrapolation approach based on local mass-specific enthalpy, total pressure and boundary layer edge velocity gradient. This shows that the three facilities cover the challenging parts of the aerothermodynamics along the entry trajectory from Low Earth Orbit. Furthermore, the more challenging conditions arising during interplanetary return at altitudes above 70 km are as well covered.