Jesse Capecelatro
University of Michigan
ESI19 Jesse Capecelatro Quadchart
The success of future lunar and planetary exploration missions will require predictive simulation tools that capture the complex multiphase dynamics associated with rocket exhaust impingement during touchdown. As a spacecraft approaches the surface of a terrestrial body, high-speed ejection of granular material results in scouring and dust impregnation of exposed hardware, reduced visibility, and potential spoofing of the landing sensors. However, existing modeling tools are unable to simulate these environments accurately. The key objective of this project is to develop advanced physics-based models and numerical algorithms to enable predictive simulations of plume-surface interactions (PSI) under relevant landing conditions. A multiscale approach is designed to connect the flight-scale landing model to two-phase statistics obtained from direct numerical simulations (DNS) that fully capture relevant microphysics. In addition, novel uncertainty quantification (UQ) techniques will be used to measure the effect of modeling parameters on key quantities of interest associated with plume-induced cratering and ejecta characteristics.