Computer simulation helps keep down costs for NASA's “lifeboat” for the international space station

The use of computer simulation helped to significantly reduce the estimated costs of building the International Space Station's (ISS) X‐38 emergency crew return vehicle. Lockheed Martin engineers wanted to determine the actual flow conditions within the X‐38 cabin, but ruled out physical testing as they lacked a physical prototype of the X‐38 and because such testing could prove very difficult. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation offered an alternative way to evaluate airflow within the vehicle by making it possible to visualize the flow field. Engineers built a computer model of the X‐38 and its contents, and used CFD to simulate the airflow and heat transfer throughout the vehicle's cabin, thus eliminating the costs of building and testing a physical prototype.