New NASA Institute on hypersonic entry systems announced
Published: March 30, 2021 • By Josh Rhoten
Researchers at CU Boulder are leading a new $15 million, multi-partner institute with NASA over the next five years to improve entry, descent and landing technologies for exploring other planets.
The new Advanced Computational Center for Entry System Simulation (ACCESS) institute was announced Tuesday by NASA. It will focus on thermal protection systems, which shield spacecraft from the aerodynamic heating experienced during hypersonic entry of the atmosphere, in which spacecraft reach speeds up to 17,000 miles per hour. The work is critical to future plans for exploration of nearby planets like Mars and beyond which will require safe placement of large payloads on their surfaces.
“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work in partnership with colleagues across the country on the incredibly challenging and important problem of hypersonic entry system analysis”
The overall project is led by Professor Iain Boyd of the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. Boyd serves as the director of the hypersonic vehicles research area in the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Other partners in the new institute are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, along with international collaborators from England, Italy, and Portugal.