Comparative Study of Planetary Atmospheres and Implications for Atmospheric Entry Missions

Abstract

The study of planetary atmospheres is critical to our understanding of the origin and evolution of the Solar System. The combined effect of various physical and chemical processes over billions of years have resulted in a variety of planetary atmospheres across the Solar System. This paper performs a comparative study of planetary atmospheres and their engineering implications for future entry and aerocapture missions. The thick Venusian atmosphere results in high deceleration and heating rates and presents a demanding environment for both atmospheric entry and aerocapture. The thin Martian atmosphere allows low aerodynamic heating, but itself is not enough to decelerate a lander to sufficiently low speeds for a soft landing. With their enormous gravity wells, Jupiter and Saturn entry result in very high entry speeds, deceleration, and heating making them the most demanding destinations for atmospheric entry and impractical for aerocapture. Titan is a unique destination, with its low gravity and greatly extended thick atmosphere enabling low deceleration and heating loads for entry and aerocapture. Uranus and Neptune also have large gravity wells, resulting in high entry speeds, high deceleration and heating compared to the inner planets, but are still less demanding than Jupiter or Saturn.