Experimental Simulation of a Galileo Sub-Scale Model at Ice Giant Entry Conditions in the T6 Free-Piston Driven Wind Tunnel

Experimental Simulation of a Galileo Sub-Scale Model at Ice Giant Entry Conditions in the T6 Free-Piston Driven Wind Tunnel

Uranus and Neptune, known collectively as the Ice Giants, are the only two planets in the solar system that are yet to be explored with a dedicated mission. Planetary entry probe missions to the Ice Giants were proposed in 2010 by NASA and ESA which prompted a resurgence of interest in experimental simulation of the aero-heating environment that would be encountered by such a spacecraft. More recently, the 2023 - 2032 Decadal Survey recommended that NASA’s highest priority new flagship mission should be a Uranus orbiter and probe with a launch date in the early 2030s. The Oxford T6 Stalker tunnel is the only facility in Europe capable of replicating the high speeds required for Ice Giant entry and is therefore a key stepping stone on the path to realising the goal of an Ice Giant mission. In the present work, a 1:10 scaled model of the Galileo probe has been tested at Ice Giant entry conditions. Conditions for nominal composition (85%H215%He), Stalker substituted, and nominal composition with methane (0.5% and 5% CH4) gas mixtures have been developed and validated for use with a new expansion nozzle via a pitot rake survey. Test flows with flight equivalent velocities greater than 18 km/s have been produced with test times on the order of 30 µs. Heat flux into the model for the developed conditions has been inferred from temperature measurements with a series of coaxial thermocouples. High speed video has been captured to aid in characterisation of the test conditions.

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