Trajectory Analysis for the Hy-v Scramjet Flight Experiment and the Effects of a Recovery System

With the retirement of the space shuttle near and rising fuel prices driving a demand for more efficient travel, alternative engine technology is being heavily researched. The scramjet, or supersonic combustion ramjet, has proven to be a promising development in reusable hypersonic transportation. Flight testing these engines, however, is very expensive and no scramjet flight has yet been recovered in reusable condition. To decrease costs, ground testing and simulations are being conducted to better model scramjet flight characteristics. In this project, NASA Wallops’ GEM software was used to simulate the trajectory of a scramjet flight experiment and analyze the effects of varying flight parameters on the trajectory to increase accuracy of ground simulations. Sensitivity of the trajectory to each input parameter was noted so corrections could be applied in flight tests to achieve desired flight conditions. Integration of a recovery system was included in the simulation and potential landing sites were found.