Hypercone Supersonic Decelerator
Hypercone is a concept for a deployable aerodynamic decelerator that is effective for supersonic, hypersonic
and rarified gas flow regimes. Hypercone comprises an inflatable torus connected to the spacecraft by a
tension membrane that defines a trailing cone. The Hypercone is an aerodynamic decelerator designed to
provide deceleration and stabilization in the Martian atmosphere from Mach 3.5 to subsonic conditions.
It comprises an inflated torus supporting a conical fabric forward section. The Hypercone is fully flexible
and can be stowed in a small volume. It is deployed directly attached to the lander.
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Hypercone Model
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The Hypercone structure is entirely tensile with the exception of the inflatable torus. Straps extend
radially from their attachment at the spacecraft’s forebody to the torus. A membrane covers the essentially
conic surface generated by the straps.
Hypercone fills a gap that exists for decelerating landers on Mars weighing more than 3 MT. All recent
landers have relied on Viking-legacy parachutes that are limited to use below Mach 2.5 and are
relatively inefficient above approximately Mach 1.5. Heavy robotic and manned landers must deploy aerodynamic
decelerators at Mach 4 and above in order to land on the high plateaus of Mars.
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Asymmetrical Hypercone
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Without a new type of supersonic decelerator, the heavier landers needed for Mars exploration will not be
possible. A variation on the Hypercone concept provides lift capability with an asymmetric shape and c.g.
offset. This is analogous to conventional sphere-cone aeroshells that use trim tabs and/or c.g. offset to
achieve L/D of approximately 0.25.
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Hypercone landing scenario
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