The non-equilibrium, low-ionization environment around a hypersonic vehicle is still being understood with experiments. Models will need to incorporate this new knowledge as it accrues.
To address the simulation needs of hypersonic flight in the upper atmosphere, Moshman Research proposed to develop a coupled rarefied gas-thermal-structural interaction (RGTSI) code which combines two NASA owned software packages. The Multiphysics Algorithm with Particles (MAP), which uses a Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method, will be integrated with the Fully Implicit Ablation and Thermal Analysis Program (FIAT).