Parametric study of aerocapture for missions to Venus

A parametric study has been conducted of aerocapture for missions to Venus, examining the entry corridor width as a function of entry velocity, vehicle aerodynamics, and atmospheric density dispersions. file corridor width is round to exceed 1 deg for low lift-to-drag configurations such as fit Apollo capsule. For a vehicle with a ballistic coefficient of 78 kg/m(2) and an entry speed of 12 km/s, preliminary calculations indicate that midcorridor trajectories will produce peak stagnation-point heating rates approximately 30% higher than those encountered off Apollo lunar return. Trajectories with modest deceleration loads (tinder 20g) and reasonable postaerocapture propulsive requirements were readily identified. Aerocapture is round to merit further study for its potential application on future missions to Venus.