Orbiter entry leeside heat-transfer data analysis

Heat-transfer data measured along the Space Shuttle Orbiter's leeward centerline and over the wing leeside surface during the STS-2 and STS-3 mission entries are presented. The flight data are compared with available wind-tunnel results. Flight heating levels are, in general, lower than those which are inferred from the wind tunnel results. This result is apparently due to the flight leeside flowfield remaining laminar over a larger Reynolds number range than that of corresponding ground test results. The flight/wind tunnel data comparisons confirm the adequacy of, and conservatism embodied in, the direct application of wind tunnel data at flight conditions for the design of Orbiter leeside thermal protection.

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