KY EPSCoR: Development of a High-Fidelity Thermal Conductivity Model Including the Effects of H2O

Current material responsde codes are limited and do not have the capability of capturing all physical phenomena, such as the so called bump present in Mars Science Laboratory's (MSL) temperature profiles. Water content within the TPS has been hypothesized as the main contributor to this phenomena. The provided proposal will set forth a detailed framework in which a high fidelity conductive model will be developed incorporating multiphase H20 within the ablation material.