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Advances in Launch Vehicle Ascent and Booster Separation CFD

AMS Seminar Series

Speakers: Derek Dalle & Jamie Meeroff, Computational Aerosciences Branch, NASA Ames Research Center

Presentation

Seminar Slide Deck (PDF-41MB)

Abstract

With the imminent launch of Artemis I, this seminar will present highlights of the work done by the Ames SLS CFD Team, part of the Computational Aerosciences branch at NASA Ames, to support the Artemis program and specifically Space Launch System (SLS) over the last 8 years. The team at Ames primarily provides aerodynamic analysis using CFD between the point where the vehicle reaches Mach 0,5 and booster separation. The team also provides aerodynamics using CFD for booster separation itself, which only takes about one second in flight but needs about 10 thousand individual CFD solutions to analyze.

The talk will feature some of the details of performing CFD for a modern launch vehicle program where computational analysis plays a growing role compared to previous programs that relied purely on wind tunnel and flight testing. It will also offer advice for any program that needs to run hundreds or more CFD cases and hint at the upcoming release of the CAPE software developed and used by the Ames SLS CFD Team to manage such large data sets.

Funded by the NASA’s SLS Program.

Biography

Photo of Derek Dalle
Derek Dalle, Ph.D. is a research engineer in the Computational Aerosciences Branch at NASA Ames Research Center and has worked in that branch since 2014. Derek is well known within NASA for running large numbers of CFD cases and extracting organized and meaningful data from those cases. His primary focus has beejn SLS since joining NASA but has also worked on sounding rocket programs, and some hypersonic research. Derek earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan. Derek also worked for Ratyheon Missiles & Defense prior to joining NASA.


Photo of Jamie Meeroff
Jamie Meeroff is a research aerospace engineer in the Computational Aerosciences Branch of the NASA Advanced Supercomputing Division at NASA Ames Research Center. Jamie joined the branch in January 2017 focusing on the generation of aerodynamic databases for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) using CFD. Prior to joining NASA, Jamie worked for Ogin, a green energy wind turbine startup, and Quest Global, a turbomachinery services company, providing aerodynamic input for products in the energy sector. Jamie received his MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland in 2010 under the supervision of Dr. Mark J. Lewis.