The supersonic flow around a rocket piloted by thrusters has been investigated. Steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computations and pressure measurements in a wind tunnel, using pressure taps and pressuresensitive paint, have been performed. For experimental investigations, real hot-gas thrusters have been replaced by cold-gas jets using a lower total pressure and a different gas. The uniqueness of this work involved calibrating those cold-gas thrusters in order to reproduce an aerodynamic interference very similar to the hot-gas jets case. This has been achieved by modifying the section ratio of the nozzles in order to control the wave celerity ratio between freestream and jet flows. A good agreement has been obtained between numerical simulations of hot-gas and cold-gas jets flows, as well as between computations and measurements of the pressure coefficient around the body in the wind tunnel. Thus, this method has provided a good approximation for the interaction between hot-gas jets and crossflow by using lower-pressure and lower-temperature jets.the body, m J = momentum flux similarity number JR = momentum flux ratio M = mass flux similarity number M th = thruster ejection Mach number M 1 = freestream Mach number NCR = nozzle celerity ratio NJR = nozzle momentum flux ratio NMR = nozzle mass flux ratio NPR = nozzle pressure ratio NrTR = nozzle temperature ratio P = pressure similarity number PR = total pressure ratio P j = nozzle exit static pressure, Pa P o , P 1 = freestream static pressure, Pa P t = total pressure, Pa P ti = thruster stagnation pressure, Pa Re D = diameter-based Reynolds number r th = specific thruster gas constant, J kg 1 K 1 r 1 = specific freestream gas constant, J kg 1 K 1 T = temperature similarity number T j = nozzle exit static temperature, K T t = total temperature, K T ti = thruster stagnation temperature, K T 1 = freestream static temperature, K U = velocity component along the x axis, m s 1 U o , U 1 = freestream velocity component along the x axis, m s 1 u f = friction velocity component along the x axis, m s 1 W = velocity component along the mean ejection direction, m s 1 W j = nozzle exit velocity component along the mean ejection direction, m s 1 x = horizontal coordinate along the body axis, m y = horizontal coordinate perpendicular to the body axis, m y = dimensionless wall distance z = vertical coordinate, m th = thruster gas isentropic coefficient 1= freestream gas isentropic coefficient = kinematic viscosity, m 2 s 1 = density, kg m 3 j = nozzle exit density, kg m 3 1 = freestream density, kg m 3 w = wall shear, Pa
