Development and Testing of 3D Medium Density Carbon Phenolic (3MDCP) for NASA's Mars Sample Return Thermal Protection System

Fiber Materials Inc. (FMI) has been developing and fabricating lightweight thermal protection systems (TPS) for NASA missions since the mid-1990’s. Starting with the Stardust mission heatshield, FMI has produced three generations of its highly insulative, nonwoven PICA material to support these missions, and PICA has protected several Mars planetary entry and solar system sample return capsules. Since 2014, the FMI team has developed woven 3D carbon phenolic thermal protection systems in collaboration with NASA. FMI’s 3MDCP, or three-directionally reinforced medium density carbon phenolic, is planned to be the forebody heatshield for Mars Sample Return’s Earth Entry System (MSR-EES). This paper presents the development of the 3MDCP material, its manufacturing readiness level (MRL) maturity, the fabrication results supporting NASA’s MSR program, and the testing completed for 3MDCP’s development. The qualification of materials required extensive thermal and structural testing as well as representative environment testing. In addition to presenting 3MDCP technical results, this paper summarizes the legacy of flight heatshield fabrication at FMI for seven NASA missions, highlighting the development of materials and manufacturing capabilities.