Considerations in Design of Calorimeters for the Project FIRE Superorbital Re-Entry Test Vehicle 630365

The purpose of Project FIRE and the nature of the reentry package are briefly discussed. The function, location, and design of beryllium calorimeters for the forebody and gold calorimeters for the afterbody are described. Methods of achieving one-dimensional heat flow in the forebody calorimeter design are covered. For the afterbody calorimeter, the optimum design was determined to be a thermally isolated, small diameter, relatively thin disc of high thermal conductivity. The influence of thermocouple size, accuracy of thermocouple placement, heat losses, and other considerations are discussed in relation to accuracy of the sensor units. Derived equations are presented which may be used to convert the telemetered temperature responses into heat flux values.