空间返回技术发展现状

Development Actuality of Space Reentry

空间返回技术对于当今和未来的太空探索具有重要意义,作为飞行任务的最后一个环节,它负责将运载飞行器和有效载荷安全地运送到地面;另一方面整个飞行过程中需要承受的物理环境。这种高风险但又有高精度要求的特点给技术实现带来了极大的挑战性。典型的返回过程可分为超高声速再入段、超声速/亚声速降落段以及着陆段。整个返回过程中飞行器都要经历严酷的物理环境。以上三个阶段所处的物理环境和任务剖面都不尽相同,这导致了设计方案和技术实现侧重不一样。本文主要讨论了针对于目前针对这些困难已经成熟的应对策略和潜在的新技术思路。

Space reentry is crucial to the space exploration： As the final stage of flight mission, it is responsible for the safely delivery of the vehicle and the payload （human in most cases）; on the other hand, the harsh physical environment exists during the whole mission. This combination of high-risk and high accuracy brings great challenge to the solution implementation. For a typical space reentry mission, it can be characterized as three major sub-missions： ultrasonic reentry, supersonic-subsonic gliding and landing, each of which is challenging and vital to the whole mission. The challenge and the final solution to these submissions are different due to the difference of the physical condition, which determine the uniqueness of design and technique. This paper mainly discusses the available solution and the potential new techniques to a space reentry mission.