Advanced Materials
Andrews has experience with arc jet testing and has developed in-house capabilities for processing and evaluating Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) materials for aerobrake ballutes, acreage TPS, and deployable stuctures.
Under a Phase II SBIR, Andrews is conducting material tests under reentry conditions in an arc jet chamber of candidate ballute designs. Andrews has designed test fixtures and instrumentation for arc jet testing, and has also evaluated polymer-derived CMCs at NASA Ames arc jet facilities.
Andrews is under contract with NASA Dryden Flight Research Center for an innovative transpiration-cooled aerobrake thermal protection system (TPS) design that is thermally protective, structurally flexible, and lightweight.
Andrews developed a polymer-derived CMC that is flexible at room and cryogenic temperatures.
Andrews has designed test fixtures and instrumentation for arc jet testing.
