Simulating New Drop Test Vehicles and Test Techniques for the Orion CEV Parachute Assembly System

Abstract

The Crew Exploration Vehicle Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) project is engaged in a multi-year design and test campaign to qualify a parachute recovery system for human use on the Orion Spacecraft. Test and simulation techniques have evolved concurrently to keep up with the demands of a challenging and complex system. The primary simulations used for preflight predictions and post-test data reconstructions are Decelerator System Simulation (DSS), Decelerator System Simulation Application (DSSA), and Drop Test Vehicle Simulation (DTV-SIM). The goal of this paper is to provide a roadmap to future programs on the test technique challenges and obstacles involved in executing a large-scale, multi-year parachute test program. A focus on flight simulation modeling and correlation to test techniques executed to obtain parachute performance parameters are presented.

Test Vehicle Forebody Wake Effects on CPAS Parachutes

“…1,2,3 Bars for each test technique show the period of technique development through testing. Generations (Gen) I and II used the slender Small Drop Test Vehicle (SDTV, 12.75 inch diameter) and Medium Drop Test Vehicle (MDTV, 24 inch diameter) for single-parachute tests.…”

Reconstruction of Orion EDU Parachute Inflation Loads

“…The simulation tools and analysis methods have evolved over the course of the program. 11 Most notably, the simulations have recently transitioned from modeling a cluster as a single "composite parachute" towards modeling each parachute individually.…”

Summary of CPAS EDU Testing Analysis Results

“…1,2 The second generation (Gen II) consisted of nine tests from 2009-2010. Thirteen additional papers by the Jacobs Analysis team were published in 2011 summarizing new avionics hardware 3 , modeling and testing techniques 3 , testing results and lessons learned 4 , and system verification and validation plans 5 . EDU testing began in 2011 and may extend into 2016.…”