afterbody

Noun

Meaning

The afterpart of a vehicle.

(nautical) The part of a vessel abaft midships.

(astronomy) A companion body that trails a satellite or spacecraft.

(astronautics) A section or piece of a launch vehicle, rocket, or spacecraft that enters the atmosphere unprotected behind the nose cone or other body that is protected for entry.

Examples

The Apollo Command/Service Module used a spherical section forebody heat shield with a converging conical afterbody. Source: Internet

The propelling nozzle at speeds above about Mach 2 usually has extra internal thrust losses because the exit area is not big enough as a trade-off with external afterbody drag. Source: Internet

The BIP was at the attachment points between the aeroshell's backshell (also called the afterbody or aft cover) and the cruise ring (also called the cruise stage). Source: Internet

Thermal protection shield (TPS) heating in the vehicle's afterbody is usually not very high, but the geometry and unsteadiness of the vehicle's wake can significantly influence aerodynamics (pitching moment) and particularly dynamic stability. Source: Internet

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