ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — From the lessons of the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to today’s routine commercial returns, heat shields—formally known as thermal protection systems (TPS)—remain essential for surviving extreme heat and friction during atmospheric reentry and hypersonic flight.
A team at Sandia National Laboratories has developed new methods to rapidly evaluate TPS materials for hypersonic vehicles. Over three years, engineers blended computer modeling, laboratory experiments, and flight testing to understand how heat shields behave under intense temperatures and pressures and to predict performance much faster than traditional approaches.
Project lead Justin Wagner said the effort began with a practical need: “Predict the response of heat shields more rapidly to assist Department of Defense customers.” The goal, he added, is to reduce the number of materials that require full qualification while improving understanding of those that do…