Mission Statement
The Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Branch at NASA Ames is committed to enabling cost effective TPS risk mitigation for NASA missions involving high-speed atmospheric flight, through its engagement in the following activities:
- TPS materials selection, development, validation and qualification;
- Development of materials databases and thermal response modeling;
- Development and validation of high fidelity physics- and chemistry-based thermal
models for understanding materials response in aerothermal environments;
- Development and validation of heat shield design and repair;
- Heat shield flight qualification.
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Spotlight On - Lori McNeill
Our spotlight shines on Lori McNeill, a Researcher and Lab Manager with ELORET. She is a recent recipient of the Ames Safety Award for her diligence in upgrading safety and health standards. Lori has been working in the Thermal Protection Materials and Systems Branch since 2001. Check out the interview conducted with her recently for more on who she is, what she does, what she likes, and her advice to students.
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New Projects
NASA Ames has been involved in many projects recently, including X-37, Mars Exploration Rover (MER), Shuttle Return-to-Flight, Mars Science Laboratory, UHTC Development work and In-Space Propulsion.
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Highlights of recent work
Researchers at NASA Ames have recently completed testing of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC), for Shuttle Return-to-Flight (RTF). In addition, radiation testing has been done in support of Huygens, with new equipment.
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Mars Exploration Rovers TPS
NASA Ames Research Center has played an important role in many areas of the Mars Exploration Rovers Mission (managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena), including work done in the thermal protection missions and systems branch to support the design, manufacture and testing of the thermal protection system (TPS).
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Thermal Protection System (TPS) and Materials
Space vehicles that enter a planetary atmosphere (i.e. earth) like the Space Shuttle Orbiter require the use of a thermal protection system (TPS) to protect them from aerodynamic heating.
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