SPORE Mission Design - Georgia Tech SSDL - Georgia Institute of ...

Figure 7.Separation sequence of events 2.
4.5 EDL Sequence of Events
The SPORE entry vehicle will separate from the service module after the de-orbit maneuver is executed.
The deployment attitude targets zero angle-of-attack at entry with respect to the atmosphere-relative
velocity vector. The general EDL sequence of events for SPORE is as follows. Atmospheric entry occurs
at a radius of 6,503 km (altitude of 125 km). Peak heating and maximum deceleration are experienced
during the hypersonic regime, where the TPS is exposed to the target aerothermal environment. The
parachute is deployed after transition to subsonic flight. The heatshield does not need to be jettisoned
since the payload is thermally isolated from the heatshield soak-back by an aluminum heat sink. The
vehicle approaches terminal velocity on the parachute prior to impact. Impact velocities vary based
upon the vehicle configuration. A UHF beacon signal is transmitted throughout EDL to aid in the
recovery process. Recovery is required to occur within 24 hours of touchdown. Figure 1 details the
baseline EDL sequence of events for SPORE.