1. COEUS
UAV for Titan
Brandon Adams
Alex Hart
Logan Sailer
Ben Veenema

2. Project Goals Airframe to fit within current launch vehicles
Aircraft mass less than 275-kg (Including payload)
Cruise and maneuver within flight conditions
20-km
9-m/s
265-W
Comparison versus current Titan exploration proposals

3. Project Objectives
Choose optimized wing & body design for flight conditions
Build aircraft or wing segment models for wind tunnel testing
Rigorous aerodynamic and structural analysis
Analysis of results, and comparison to alternative Titan proposals

4. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)
Dense atmosphere of hydrocarbons & other organic compounds
Methane lakes and oceans
Weather patterns similar to Earth
Atmospheric interaction with high energy particles allows for the possibility of complex organic compounds, and potentially life
Source:

5. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)
Flight Conditions
95% N2 - Ideal Gas Model
Altitude [km]:
Temperature [K]:
Pressure [kPa]:
Density [kg/m3]:
Viscosity [N-s/m2]:
Gas Constant [J/kg/K]:
Speed of Sound [m/s]:
Specific Heat Ratio: 20 76 48
2.16
4.84x10-6
296
178
1.4
Earth 20
216
5.529
0.0889
1.43x10-5
286
295
1.4
Source:

6. Design Considerations
Low Temperature: Speed of Sound, Materials
High Density Fluid: Lift, Drag, Power
Low Velocity: Lift, Drag, Power
Required vs. Available Power
Launch Mass & Volume Constraints

7. Aerodynamics
Velocity, mass, power requirements necessitates Lift-to-Drag (L/D) =12
Wingspan tends to be around 5-m
Rigid power & lift requirements likely necessitate lifting body
Reynolds numbers between 3.0x106 and 8.0x106

8. Temperature Carbon-fiber ply Negative coefficient of thermal expansion
Impact tests at ~100 K

9. Launch, Delivery, & Structure
Aircraft dimensions suggest Delta-IV Heavy for 5-m fairing
Packaging in an aeroshell requires the wings and tail to be folded
Source:

10. Summer Work Simplified Excel power and L/D curves
Optimum velocity, power, and lift requirements
cl & cd for varying span, aspect ratio
Simple Xfoil models for NACA 3 & 4-series for Re between 3x106 and 5x106

11. Summer Work
Minimum drag between 6- & 10-m span

12. Summer Work
Xfoil pressure distribution

13. Summer Work MatLab model
Relationship between power, span, aspect ratio
Highlighted curve between 260 & 270 W

14. Summer Work
Power asymptotically approaches ~4.4-m span

15. Next… Continue literature review (always…)
Begin aerodynamic calculations & modeling – Earth vs Titan
Explore & pursue wind tunnel experimentation
Airfoil, body, and controls
Materials, mass, and structure