Radiation and Ablation in Rapidly Expanding Flows. The aim of the project is to record the spectra of radiation from a region of rapidly expanding flow representative of the passage of the shock layer on a re-entry capsule from the windward to the leeward surfaces. The significance of this work is that it addresses a critical area of spacecraft where the uncertainties of our design techniques are of the order of 300 per cent in terms of surface heat transfer, and current vehicles have to use lar ....Radiation and Ablation in Rapidly Expanding Flows. The aim of the project is to record the spectra of radiation from a region of rapidly expanding flow representative of the passage of the shock layer on a re-entry capsule from the windward to the leeward surfaces. The significance of this work is that it addresses a critical area of spacecraft where the uncertainties of our design techniques are of the order of 300 per cent in terms of surface heat transfer, and current vehicles have to use large safety factors to ensure survivability. The outputs from the project will be a data base of radiative parameters which should enable accurate models of the flow to be developed, which is expected to facilitate the design of advanced spacecraft with greater safety and reliability, and with lower structural mass.Read moreRead less
Flow physics of porous wall fuel injection for scramjet combustion and drag reduction. This project combines world-class Australian scramjet science with German advanced high temperature materials, exploring potentially transformational technology for satellite launch. Australia’s credentials in the international space arena will strengthen, contributing to assured access to the space-based applications upon which we heavily depend.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100263
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking to land heavy payloads on Mars. This project aims to decelerate space vehicles by applying a magnetic field to the hot ionised gases that form around the vehicle. In the thin atmosphere of Mars, aerodynamic drag alone is not enough to land a spacecraft larger than 1 tonne. A human mission to Mars requires landing of payloads up to 80 tonnes. Interaction of the magnetic field with the ionised flow dissipates kinetic energy and can reduce surface heating. This proje ....Magnetohydrodynamic aerobraking to land heavy payloads on Mars. This project aims to decelerate space vehicles by applying a magnetic field to the hot ionised gases that form around the vehicle. In the thin atmosphere of Mars, aerodynamic drag alone is not enough to land a spacecraft larger than 1 tonne. A human mission to Mars requires landing of payloads up to 80 tonnes. Interaction of the magnetic field with the ionised flow dissipates kinetic energy and can reduce surface heating. This project could make Mars-return missions feasible by enabling greatly increased payloads. It also aims to evaluate magnetohydrodynamic braking and heat mitigation at true flight conditions.Read moreRead less
Linear Formation Interferometry for Astrophysics and New Space Technologies. This project will prototype a new type of visible and infrared light interferometry: telescopes freely moving in a line 10s of metres in length and directing their light towards a central beam combiner. This is particularly well suited to sparse aperture optical interferometry from space, which can be used to resolve angular scales much finer than the world's largest monolithic telescopes. The ground based prototype wil ....Linear Formation Interferometry for Astrophysics and New Space Technologies. This project will prototype a new type of visible and infrared light interferometry: telescopes freely moving in a line 10s of metres in length and directing their light towards a central beam combiner. This is particularly well suited to sparse aperture optical interferometry from space, which can be used to resolve angular scales much finer than the world's largest monolithic telescopes. The ground based prototype will also be able to make a several key astrophysical observations of benchmark stars and stellar systems, including making precise polarimetric measurements of dust shells around bright stars.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102277
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Design optimisation and physical behaviour of fuel injection and mixing for innovative scramjet concepts. Scramjets are a potential game changer for satellite launch and high speed flight. The phenomena that will make or break them are complex, and achieving optimal designs is hugely challenging. This project combines advanced optimisation techniques and flow simulations to find, and understand, optimal fuel injection for innovative scramjet designs.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100050
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$670,000.00
Summary
Spacecraft Innovation Laboratory. The Australian Spacecraft Innovation Laboratory is designed to provide researchers and entrepreneurs with a venue to integrate and test their “cubesats”, satellites the size of a loaf of bread, and small payloads. By centralising the satellite integration function, the standard of Australian space assets can be assured, giving researchers confidence that their spacebased experiments will succeed. Knowledge transfer to space start-ups will be accelerated by easin ....Spacecraft Innovation Laboratory. The Australian Spacecraft Innovation Laboratory is designed to provide researchers and entrepreneurs with a venue to integrate and test their “cubesats”, satellites the size of a loaf of bread, and small payloads. By centralising the satellite integration function, the standard of Australian space assets can be assured, giving researchers confidence that their spacebased experiments will succeed. Knowledge transfer to space start-ups will be accelerated by easing their access to space.
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Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC170100023
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$4,619,950.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre for Cubesats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles, and Their Applications. The ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and their Applications aims to train the next generation of workers in cutting edge advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and commercial space and unmanned aerial vehicle applications. The Australian economy, security, and society increasingly rely on access to space for vital data and services, and a skilled workforce is required to grow the sec ....ARC Training Centre for Cubesats, Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles, and Their Applications. The ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and their Applications aims to train the next generation of workers in cutting edge advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and commercial space and unmanned aerial vehicle applications. The Australian economy, security, and society increasingly rely on access to space for vital data and services, and a skilled workforce is required to grow the sector and capitalise on global opportunities. Of great commercial value, with very low costs, CubeSats are a new class of small satellites, which with UAVs are disrupting the international satellite market. The expected outcome of this Training Centre is to develop new instruments, technology and products to solve crucial problems, and develop a world-class Australian industry in CubeSats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and related products.Read moreRead less
Non-equilibrium reacting shock layers. This project aims is to study the non-equilibrium aerodynamic processes involved in hypervelocity flight. The design of vehicles for high speed flight is critically dependent on modelling the interactions between the flow field and the airframe, and the current lack of understanding is restricting the scope and benefit of viable activities in space. The expected outcomes include the ability to design optimised heat shields and air-frames with minimum mass a ....Non-equilibrium reacting shock layers. This project aims is to study the non-equilibrium aerodynamic processes involved in hypervelocity flight. The design of vehicles for high speed flight is critically dependent on modelling the interactions between the flow field and the airframe, and the current lack of understanding is restricting the scope and benefit of viable activities in space. The expected outcomes include the ability to design optimised heat shields and air-frames with minimum mass and maximum payload, precisely targeting specific flight conditions and vehicle shapes. The prospective benefits include increased productivity and reliability and reduced cost of missions to and from space, and a proliferation of new applications which this understanding will facilitate.Read moreRead less
GRACE follow-on: validation of measurements and initial results. This project aims to advance knowledge to quantify ongoing mass loss of Earth’s polar ice caps and glaciers, increases in sea level, and changes in continental water storage. The project expects to improve the capability to monitor changes on Earth using satellites and to enhance analysis by exploiting data from new instrumentation on the GRACE Follow-On space gravity mission, due for launch in 2018. Expected results aim to improve ....GRACE follow-on: validation of measurements and initial results. This project aims to advance knowledge to quantify ongoing mass loss of Earth’s polar ice caps and glaciers, increases in sea level, and changes in continental water storage. The project expects to improve the capability to monitor changes on Earth using satellites and to enhance analysis by exploiting data from new instrumentation on the GRACE Follow-On space gravity mission, due for launch in 2018. Expected results aim to improve computational tools and to develop expertise to analyse the new data. Other expected outcomes include reliable methods to monitor significant sea-level rise and associated societal and economic disruptions.Read moreRead less