Computational studies of hydrodynamic impact on re-entry vehicle during splashdown

The re-entry vehicle of the crew transportation spacecraft that is being developed by RSC Energia nominally performs its soft landing on land surface using a parachute/thruster system and landing devices. In off-nominal situations the re-entry vehicle is capable of performing a splashdown. In that case, it becomes necessary to determine the hydrodynamic impact on the re-entry vehicle at the moment of the initial contact with the water surface and during immersion into water medium, as well as to study the dynamics of the vehicle behavior at later moments in time. This paper presents results of preliminary computational studies of hydrodynamic loads on a vehicle of segmental-conical shape during splashdown, performed with the use of software package FlowVision by specialists of companies TESIS and RSC Energia. The paper reviews the case of a splashdown with inactive solid rocket motors on calm sea in the absence of interactions between rocket jets and the water surface. It presents data on the distribution of pressure over the surface of the propulsion compartment shield in the course of the vehicle immersion into water medium and dynamics of the vehicle behavior after splashdown. It provides diagrams of flow patterns in the vicinity of the re-entry vehicle at different moments in time, as well as time variation of integral forces and moments acting on the vehicle. This information is necessary for detailed analysis of interaction patterns during splashdown.