Virtual Air Data System Architecture for Space Reentry Applications

摘要

In this paper, an advanced air data system architecture based on the concept of virtual air data is proposed. Virtualnair data are virtual measurements based on the combination of inertial measurements with weather forecast datancoming from a meteorological model. This model can be considered as a virtual sensor that provides information onnwind velocities, air temperature, and air pressure. The combination of inertial measurements with weather forecastndata has been carried out using a sensor fusion algorithm (specifically, an extended Kalman filter) allowing thenestimation of the true-air-speed components. This kind of air data system architecture allows most of the typicalnlimitations of conventional air data probes to be overcome and does not require any specific experimental orncomputational fluid dynamics calibration campaign or any thermal protection system when dealing with reentrynapplications. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated with two practical applications, the first based on the postflightnanalysis of the first Dropped Transonic Flight Test mission (carried out by the Italian Aerospace Research Center)nand the second based on a simulated case of the second Dropped Transonic Flight Test planned for the next years.