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.