A review of European code-validation studies in high-enthalpy flow

The paper focuses on the experiments performed in the European high-enthalp y facilities during the manned space flight hypersonic ground testing techn ology programme. Emphasis is placed on simple configuration testing enablin g validation of the physical modelling within non-equilibrium Navier-Stokes codes. The high-enthalpy facilities used are the ONERA hot-shot F4 and the DLR Stalker tube HEG. The simple configurations are the nozzle, the Electr e blunt cone, the hyperboloid flare, and the 70 degrees blunt cone. in addi tion to these axisymmetric configurations, the Halis/Orbiter configuration was extensively tested and numerically computed to validate the ground-to-f light extrapolation methodology. Real-gas effects on aerodynamic forces and in particular on pitching moment for the Halls have been reproduced in the F4 and compared with flight. The paper concludes with a series of recommen dations for additional improvements in nozzle calibrations using nonintrusi ve methods, and for an increased use of computational fluid dynamics for th e design of experiments, the definition of the test environment, the interp retation of the results and for extrapolation to flight.