Research

I provide a brief summary of my research here, with the projects listed in reverse chronological order. Click on the project title to learn more about each project (coming soon).

Current research (my Ph.D. work)

A Systems Framework and Analysis Tool For Rapid Conceptual Design of Aerocapture Missions

Schematic showing the various phases of the aerocapture. Atmospheric height is greatly exaggerated for clarity.

The basic objective of this work is to provide a systems engineering framework for rapid aerocapture mission formulation, starting from a high-level mission objective(s) to a viable mission concept. The mission designer has to select a mutually compatible, harmonious set of interconnected systems, which will accomplish the stated objective(s) within the technical, cost, schedule, and risk constraints. For more details, please see my Ph.D. Dissertation. An article is currently under publication in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.

Key systems relevant to an aerocapture mission concept. All images in the public domain. Credit: U.S. Air Force, NASA, JPL, and ESA.

A systems view of the aerocapture concept showing the flow down from the high-level mission objective to conceptual and detailed design, and implementation.

Purdue Single-Wheel Test Rig for Ocean World Rovers

The NASA COLDTech effort focuses on design and construction of a single-wheel test rig for planetary exploration rovers on ocean worlds such as Europa. For more details, please see the project technical report.

Single-Wheel Test Rig for Ocean World rover tires

Past research

Neptune Aerocapture Using Heritage Blunt-Body Aeroshells

The lack of a heritage mid-L/D aeroshell presents a major hurdle for Neptune aerocapture, as the development a new entry vehicle incurs significant time and investment. Techniques which may allow Neptune aerocapture to be feasible using heritage low-L/D blunt-body aeroshells are investigated that obviate the need for mid-L/D aeroshells. For more details, please see the article published Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, (2020).

Trade space visualization for Neptune aerocapture mission design

Feasibility Assessment of Aerocapture for Venus Missions

A numerical assessment of the feasibility of aerocapture at Venus is presented, and the mass benefit of aerocapture is compared with propulsive orbit insertion. This study considers constraints imposed by entry corridor, deceleration loads, and aerodynamic heating on aerocapture for two vehicle control techniques: lift modulation and drag modulation. Feasibility charts are presented to graphically visualize the aerocapture design space spanning interplanetary trajectory and vehicle performance. For more details, please see the article published Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (2020).