Biologically-Inspired Radiation-Reflecting Ablator

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

technology solution
Materials and Coatings

Biologically-Inspired BENEFITS
Photonic structures can be
Radiation-Reflecting Ablator computationally designed
and synthetically fabricated
An alternative approach to forming radiation-reflecting Photonic effects can be
materials used to reflect radiation
Radiative reflector can
Radiative heating during reentry becomes very significant as vehicles conserve mass that will
decrease propulsion costs
get larger and enter at high speeds. The specifics of the radiation
and/or increase payload
depend upon vehicle characteristics, speed, and the atmosphere. capacity
Radiative heating occurs very early during reentry and at specific Decreased total weight of
wavelengths, dependent upon the atmosphere. Thermal protection ablation shield
systems capable of dealing with such heat fluxes can be very heavy.
An alternative is to make a heat shield that can reflect the radiation.
One approach to radiation reflection is through photonic effects which
is time consuming and expensive. Ames Research Center has
developed an alternative approach to forming radiation-reflecting
materials by using the ordered structures that are found in nature to
make materials that can be used to reflect radiation called
Biologically-Inspired Radiation-Reflecting Ablator (BIRRA).
NASA Technology Transfer Program
Bringing NASA Technology Down to Earth

THE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS

Reentry heating comes from two primary sources: Convective heating from both the The technology has several potential
flow of hot gas past the surface of the vehicle and catalytic chemical recombination applications:
reactions at the surface; and Radiation heating from the energetic shock layer in front of
the vehicle. The magnitude of stagnation heating is dependent on a variety of parameters, Aerospace and Defense
including reentry speed, vehicle effective radius, and atmospheric density. As reentry Coating Industry
speed increases, both convective and radiation heating increase. At high speeds, radiation
Thermal Protection Systems
heating can quickly dominate and as the effective vehicle radius increases, convective
heating decreases, but radiation heating increases. Radiation during reentry is a function
of reentry speed which occurs very early in reentry for very specific wave-lengths and is
dependent upon atmospheric composition. The Biologically-Inspired Radiation- PUBLICATIONS
Reflecting Ablator (BIRRA) approach converts amorphous silica of diatoms to a more Patent Pending
refractory material, Silicon carbide (SiC), and incorporates it into a Thermal Protection
System (TPS), especially near the surface to provide enhanced reflection during the
initial stage of reentry into planetary atmospheres at high speeds. Different diatom
species reflect different wavelengths. This conversion is performed in a fluidized bed
reactor or other type of reactor to convert naturally ordered structures to higher
temperature materials with a photonic structure that can better reflect radiation. TPS that
shields vehicles from both radiative and convective heat would allow reduction of the
mass fraction of the TPS, which will increase the mass fraction available for payload or
reduce the overall mass and thus launch and propulsion requirements.

The technology is incorporated into a Thermal Protection System (TPS), especially near the
surface to provide enhanced reflection during the initial stage of reentry into planetary
atmospheres at high speeds.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA's Technology Transfer Program

pursues the widest possible applications
Technology Partnerships Office of agency technology to benefit US
Ames Research Center citizens. Through partnerships and
licensing agreements with industry, the
MS 202A-3 program ensures that NASA's investments
Moffett Field, CA 94035 in pioneering research find secondary
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uses that benefit the economy, create
ARC-TechTransfer@mail.nasa.gov
jobs, and improve quality of life.
http://technology.nasa.gov/
ARC-16956-1
www.nasa.gov
NP-2015-02-1396-HQ