3.1 Achieving optimal hypersonic re-entry temperatures through
Joule heating
For real re-entry, heat shield geometrical shapes are concave. Therefore
only re-entry shapes of uniformly thick concave heat shield will be
considered. The case study in this analysis is a prototype heat shield
of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion MPCV). The Orion MPCV has
a heat shield of 5 metres in diameter but the prototype in this
publication is 100 times smaller, resulting to a heat shield of 5
centimetres (50 mm) in diameter.