Starship shield upgrade which would decrease the thermal load in critical areas as flap hinges. As well this design makes the Starship aerodynamically stable during the reentry, which allows to replace the rear driven flaps with fixed wings as a part of the shield. The forward flaps would be enough to keep the angle of attack and perform the belly flop maneuver.



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I made a short video showing the methane-cooled Starship reentry shield concept. The shield features an inverted bell-shaped geometry, which offers several critical advantages. This configuration is inherently aerodynamically stable, eliminating the need for aft-actuated flaps. Furthermore, the shape significantly enhances aerodynamic braking authority, increases the effective radiative surface area, and improves lift-to-drag ratio for gliding capability during descent.  configurations. The active cooling system involves the injection of methane at a flow rate of approximately 5 kg/s, distributed uniformly across the base of the shield via a single longitudinal injector conduit running the length of the vehicle. If the outer shell of the shield is fabricated from HASTELLOY or a high-melting-point titanium alloy, the structure should be capable of withstanding hundreds—potentially thousands—of reentry cycles with minimal degradation. In my assessment, this represents the only v...
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Surface temperature plot of Starship /tile protection/ top and bottom part with very mild reentry conditions - only 5000m/s speed, AOA=70 degree and  atm. pressure only 10 Pascals. As it is seen the shield temperature well exceeds 3000K in about 40-50% of the surface. All comments and suggestions are most welcome ...
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