CU to lead NASA spacecraft shield project

BOULDER — Researchers at the University of Colorado will head up the new $15-million, five-year NASA Advanced Computational Center for Entry System Simulation project, which seeks to “improve entry, descent and landing technologies for exploring other planets,” according to a CU news release. 

The project is led by CU engineering professor Iain Boyd and involves partners at the University of Illinois, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Kentucky and the University of New Mexico.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work in partnership with colleagues across the country on the incredibly challenging and important problem of hypersonic entry system analysis for NASA,” Boyd said in the release.

The goal of the Advanced Computational Center for Entry System Simulation project is “to significantly advance our ability to use computer simulations to design and ensure the safety of the entry systems required for NASA space exploration missions. These systems protect a payload — whether astronauts, equipment or scientific instruments — during the harsh flight of a space capsule into the atmosphere of a distant planet or on its return to Earth,” the release said.

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