Design Report

Spacecraft Re-entry Heat Shield

Prepared by

___________________________________________

Evan Grilley & Charles Skinner

2 Oct 2015

Purpose
The purpose of this test was to determine which combination of materials best protect a
chocolate astronaut from the heat of re-entry, as simulated by exposure to three minutes above a
heat gun directing 540C air at the exposed surface of the heat shield. Prior to the heat test, the
shield also had to withstand a simulated micrometeorite impact, must be able to lifted 10 meters
or higher by a container pressurized to no more than 75 pounds per square inch, and, when
falling from apogee, provide a landing soft enough to prevent a raw egg from cracking.

Procedure
For the micrometeorite test,
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Figure 1. Micrometeorite Test Set-Up

Put on eye protection

Place heat shield facing up on table
Level meter stick vertically on the heat shield
Raise weight to 75cm on the meter stick
Drop the weight to directly hit heat shield
Record results

For the launch test,

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.

Carefully place a raw egg in a plastic bag.

Carefully place the raw egg / plastic bag combination into the heat shield.
Attach the heat shield to the rocket.
Photograph the heat shield / interface / rocket assembly.
Verify data collection system ready
a.
Target pressure
b.
Fuel amount
c.
Environmental conditions
d.
Camera and tripod
Measure the desired amount of fuel (account for some waste) and pour into pressure
vessel

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7.

Quickly invert bottle onto launch mechanism. Wedge the protruding PVC pipe onto the
nozzle of the pressure vessel.
Once all rockets are loaded, push up on the locking latch and slide the lock mechanism
into position.
Pull forward on the tensioning lever.
Once bottles are loaded, verify that the launch area is clear of spectators and that team
members are wearing safety glasses.
Photograph the rocket in the ready-to-launch configuration.
Announce in a loud and clear voice that pressurization will commence.
Pressurize the vessel to the desired pressure (not to exceed 75 pounds per square inch
(psi))
Verify again that the launch area is clear. Signal the camera person to begin filming.
Countdown from 3 to 1 in a loud and clear voice.
Push straight down on the release button. You may need to apply significant force.
After the rockets have launched, reset the tensioning lever.

8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

Fig 2.

Bottle wedged
on PVC pipe

For the heat resistance test,

1) Photograph protected and exposed sides of shield
2)

Measure projected frontal area of shield

3)

Measure mass of shield

4)

Place wrapped chocolate inside test chamber.

5)

Center shield directly above heat guns nozzle. Verify that the bottom
of the heat shield is 5 cm from the top of the guns nozzle.

6)

Place probes at either side of chocolate.

7)

Photograph heat test set up.

8)

Set data collection time for 300 seconds.

9)

Start collecting data.

10) Turn on heat gun for 200 seconds.

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11) After 300 seconds, save data and remove probes from shield and,
using tongs, remove shield from testing apparatus and chocolate
from chamber.
12) Photograph.
13) Dip probes in water to cool them down for next user.
Save the data to an appropriate location.
Safety
Launch Safety

1. Materials. The pressure chamber of the rocket shall be constructed of thin,

ductile plastic. Only lightweight, non-metal parts shall be used for the nose,
body, and fins.
2. Compressed Gas Safety. A safe distance shall be maintained at all times
between persons and pressurized water rockets or launchers. The
recommended safe distance is as follows:

Launch
Pressure
Up to 75 psi

With Eye
Protectio
n
10

Without
Eye
Protection
20

3. Launcher. The launcher shall hold the rocket to within 30 degrees of vertical
to ensure that it flies nearly straight up. It shall provide a stable support
against wind and any triggering forces, and allow the rocket to be pressurized
and depressurized from a safe distance. Launchers shall be constructed from
materials rated for at least 3 times the intended launch pressure.
4. Launch Safety. Use a countdown prior to launch to ensure that spectators are
paying attention and are a safe distance away. If the rocket does not launch
when triggered, I will not allow anyone to approach it until it has been
depressurized.
5. Flight Safety. Water rockets shall not be directed at people or property.
6. Launch Site. Water rockets shall be launched outdoors.
7. Recovery System. A recovery system such as a streamer, parachute, or
tumble recovery shall be used, with the intent to return it safely to earth
without damage.
8. Recovery Safety. Recovery shall not be attempted from power lines, tall
trees, or other dangerous places.
Heat Test Safety

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1. Verify no plastic is included in final design.

2. Verify position of probes.
3. Verify area clear of cords.
4. Verify area clear of extraneous material.
5. Verify access to fire extinguisher.
6. Verify area clear of extraneous people.
7. Verify that people within 8 of the testing apparatus are wearing safety glasses.
8. Provide testing go-ahead.
9. Keep area clear of extraneous motion.
10. If smoke, flames, or fumes come from shield or gun, direct tester to turn off heat gun.
11. Ensure testers use tongs to move hot shields to safe cooling location.
12. Ensure testers return astronauts.
Micrometeorite Test Safety
1. Wear eye protection

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Design #1
Description and Rationale:
Heat Shield
The design is both cheap and strong. We are using a small layer of perlite as the outer shell.
Perlite will not crack as easily under impact as Plaster of Paris, and is used as a thermal insulator
is real life. We are attaching the perlite to a paper cup being used as a form, using silicone caulk
as the adhesive. The silicone caulk also works as another form of insulation. The paper cup is
where we are storing the egg and the chocolate. Inside the paper cup is sawdust, which works as
both insulation and shock absorbent. The sawdust is held in place by a cardboard sheet facing
away from the heat.
Rocket and Interface
For this rocket the heat shield is attached to the rocket via duct tape and a paper cup. The paper
cup is a protector for the heat shield that is a shock absorber in the form of a cone that is
designed to crush on impact. The duct tape secures the paper cup which is also holding the heat
shield.

A detailed drawing of the heat shield is shown in Figure 4 below:

Figure 4. Design #1 physical details

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A detailed drawing of the rocket and interface is shown in Figure 5 below:

Figure 5. Design #1 physical details

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Details of the construction amounts and costs are shown in the table 1:
Material
Duct Tape
Paper Cup
Perlite
Sawdust
Silicone Caulk
Cardboard
egg

# of Units Used
40cm
2
69cm3
180cm3
40cm2
125cm2
1

Cost per Unit

500
1500
1,000
500
500
100
1,000,000

Total Cost =

Cost of Material
20,000
3,000
69,000
90,000
20,000
12,500
1,000,000

$1,214,500

Table 1. Design #1 materials and cost

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Results:
Micrometeorite Test
Figure 6 shows a photograph of the heat shield after the micrometeorite test.

Figure 6. Design #1 post-meteorite test

When the micrometeorite hit, it bent the bottom a bit but other than that it did fairly well
Launch / Landing Test
Figure 7 shows a photograph of the heat shield on the launch pad prior to launch. Figure 8 shows
a photograph of the heat shield after landing.

Figure 7. Design #1 pre-launch

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Figure 8. Design #1 post-launch

The egg and our sawdust flew out, which is a failed protection system.

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Heat Resistance Test

The initial temperature of the test subject was 24C. After preparing the heat shield for the
test, we turned on the heat gun. The temperature was recorded until 300 seconds. As
shown in the graph below, the temperature change on the protected side was minimal for
the first 100 seconds and increased rapidly during the final 100 seconds. The maximum
temperature on the protected side of the heat shield was 29C. The temperature vs. time
history is shown in the graph in Figure 9. More extensive temperature data can be found in
Appendix 1.

Figure 9. Design #1 temperature results

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Analysis:
Given the above results,
78.5cm 2
1
10C 4.9 C
200 g 43 g
$200,000 1,214,500$

(
10

(
10

) (10
) (10
)
2
10cm
1
10C
200 g
$200,000
For the rocket test, the egg flew out of the heat shield and could not be found, the duct tape was in
FoM

a weak spot letting it detach from the rocket and the lid, letting the sawdust and egg to fly out.
FoM 7.85 10 5.1 7.85 ( 50.725)

FoM =-19.925
A line of best fit through the temperature profile from t=0s to t=300s gives a temperature
rate of:
TC =23.35 C + .01971

C
t
s

(t=time in seconds)
Thus if we extrapolate to a burner time of 15 minutes (900 sec), the temperature would be
41.67C. This is approximately 107F, which is as hot as a hot summer day. If you can
survive a day in summer, you can survive 15 min in my heat shield.
Based on our current understanding, we think that the heat shields performance can be
explained as follows:
The lid ripped off and let out most of the material, there was a little saw dust left protecting
the chocolate bunny from being melted.
Next time, I shall put more tape holding the heat shield to the rocket. Because it is difficult
to attach tape to perlite.

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Appendix 1:

Temperature Data

The temperature of the chocolate was relatively low, the perlite helped keeping the conduction
down. The thermocouple went all the way up to about 430 degrees C, while the probes only
heated up to 29 degrees celcius.
Time (s)
0
45
1:30
2:15
3:00
3:45
4:15
5:00

Thermistor 1 (C)
Thermistor 2 (C)
Thermocouple (C)
23.8
23.8
59
24
24.2
390
25
25.2
415
25.85
26.35
420
26.89
27.61
425
27..97
28.4
315
28.4
25.9
215
28.86
29.1
150
Table 2. Design #1 temperature results

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Appendix 2: Test equipment details and calibrations

Heat gun specifications
Milwaukee
Made in Romania
120V
60Hz
1400W
Calibration data
Expected
Probe 1
Probe 2

Ambient air
Boiling water
23C
100C
23.89C
100.1C
23.93C
99.1C
Table 3. Design #1 calibration data

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Ice bath
0C
0.1C
0.2C

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