Wake Visualization of the LOFTID Model at Mach 10 Using Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence

An experimental investigation of the hypersonic wake behind the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) wind tunnel model in a Mach 10 freestream is discussed. Wake visualization was performed using planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of nitric oxide (NO), which was locally seeded into the wake through the aft body of the model. PLIF measurements are reported at all three of the typical freestream Reynolds numbers of the NASA Langley 31-inch Mach 10 wind tunnel at