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TREDS - Tethered Re-Entry Deceleration System In our search for knowledge of the solar system and space, more and more missions are being conducted to study asteroids and deep space phenomena. Often, these missions involve the collection of priceless samples and data that must be returned to Earth for analysis. A safe method of returning the capsules containing these data is needed. The TREDS project aims to provide a safe means for the return of such capsules by the introduction of a new deceleration system. The system entails using a long, trailing tether that will be extended behind the capsule just prior to re-entry. This tether will increase the drag on the capsule, and will aid in slowing it for a safer and more manageable sample return. The TREDS team has recently presented at both the 2006 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Forum and an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conference on the topic. The team received positive feedback on their efforts to determine the feasibility of this concept and to exploere several possible system architectures. One of the main project efforts involved an atmospheric re-entry model so that various capsule and tether configurations could be tested. The team used the Genesis capsule re-entry as a baseline (see figure to the right). The Genesis capsule profile is shown as a dotted black line, and the TREDS model prediction is shown as the solid red line. Comparison with this baseline enabled the team to validate the output of their model. With a functioning re-entry model, the team was able to test various configurations in order to determine what influence adding each tether would have on the re-entry profile. These data (including altitude, velocity, acceleration, and temperature profiles) were used to determine what materials are allowable for the tether construction as well as how much the capsule heat shield may be reduced with the addition of the tether system. This, in conjunction with tether system cost data, enabled the team to evaluate the overall feasibility of such a system. For more information, please contact our office (2028 Space Research Building, 2455 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109) at 734.936.0511, or email s3fl-info at umich dot edu

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