A model for simulating nonequilibrium radiation from Mars entry shock layers is presented. A new chemical kinetic rate model is developed that provides good agreement with recent EAST and X2 shock tube radiation measurements. This model includes a CO dissociation rate that is a factor of 13 larger than the rate used widely in previous models. Uncertainties in the proposed rates are assessed along with uncertainties in translational-vibrational relaxation modeling parameters. The stagnation point radiative flux uncertainty due to these flowfield modeling parameter uncertainties is computed to vary from 50 to 200% for a range of free-stream conditions, with densities ranging from 5e-5 to 5e-4 kg/m 3 and velocities ranging from of 6.3 to 7.7 km/s. These conditions cover the range of anticipated peak radiative heating conditions for proposed hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerators (HIADs). Modeling parameters for the radiative spectrum are compiled along with a non-Boltzmann rate model for the dominant radiating molecules, CO, CN, and C2. A method for treating non-local absorption in the non-Boltzmann model is developed, which is shown to result in up to a 50% increase in the radiative flux through absorption by the CO 4th Positive band. The sensitivity of the radiative flux to the radiation modeling parameters is presented and the uncertainty for each parameter is assessed. The stagnation point radiative flux uncertainty due to these radiation modeling parameter uncertainties is computed to vary from 18 to 167% for the considered range of free-stream conditions. The total radiative flux uncertainty is computed as the root sum square of the flowfield and radiation parametric uncertainties, which results in total uncertainties ranging from 50 to 260%. The main contributors to these significant uncertainties are the CO dissociation rate and the CO heavy-particle excitation rates. Applying the baseline flowfield and radiation models developed in this work, the radiative heating for the Mars Pathfinder probe is predicted to be nearly 20 W/cm 2 . In contrast to previous studies, this value is shown to be significant relative to the convective heating.

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Radiative heating is identified as a major contributor to afterbody heating for Earth entry capsules at velocities above 10 km/s. Because of rate-limited electron-ion recombination processes, a large fraction of the electronically-excited N and O atoms produced in the high temperature/pressure forebody remain as they expand into the afterbody region, which results in significant afterbody radiation. Large radiative heating sensitivities to electron-impact ionization rates and escape factors are identified. Ablation products from a forebody ablator are shown to increase the afterbody radiation by as much as 40%. The tangent-slab radiation transport approach is shown to over-predict the radiative flux by as much as 40% in the afterbody, therefore making the more computationally expensive ray-tracing approach necessary for accurate radiative flux predictions. For the Stardust entry, the afterbody radiation is predicted to be nearly twice as large as the convective heating during the peak heating phase of the trajectory. Comparisons between simulations and the Stardust Echelle observation measurements, which are shown to be dominated by afterbody emission, indicate agreement within 20% for various N and O lines. Similarly, calorimeter measurements from the Fire II experiment are identified as a source of validation data for afterbody radiation. For the afterbody calorimeter measurement closest to the forebody, which experiences the largest afterbody radiative heating component, the convective heating alone is shown to under-predict the measurement, even for the fullycatalytic assumption. Agreement with the measurements is improved with the addition of afterbody radiation. These comparisons with Stardust and Fire II measurements provide validation that the significant afterbody radiation values proposed in this work are legitimate.

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