Meteorite aerodynamics during dark flight

Meteorite aerodynamics during dark flight: An experimental investigation using a subsonic wind tunnel

Aduru, Sai Saran (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering; TU Delft Astrodynamics & Space Missions)

de Vet, S.J. (mentor)
Cazaux, S.M. (graduation committee)
Sciacchitano, A. (graduation committee)

Delft University of Technology

Aerospace Engineering

2022-01-28

The dark flight of the meteorite in the atmosphere complicates the estimation of the impact point on the Earth’s surface. The irregular shape of the meteorite affects the aerodynamic forces during the dark flight, which can influence the trajectory of the meteorite. This further complicates the meteorite recovery. Limited knowledge of the aerodynamic properties of meteorite is speculated as one of the major reasons for partial recovery of the meteorites. Therefore, this work experimentally investigates the meteorite aerodynamics during dark flight using a subsonic wind tunnel. The drag coefficient, free fall analysis from 10 km altitude and the rotational aspects were studied using a 3D printed meteorite model. Additionally, the results were implemented in a dark flight code to study the influence of these parameters for a hypothetical meteorite fall. This study proved that aerodynamic forces are very crucial in the meteorite dark flight and strongly influences the meteorite trajectory.

Broek in Waterland
Strewn field
Oriented flight
Shape factor
Rotation

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:2cb31e05-37d5-4ef9-8d1a-faae7ffbf5e4

Student theses

master thesis

© 2022 Sai Saran Aduru