Maximum Deceleration During Re-Entry Calculator

Property to Calculate:

Peak deceleration (a):

Entry velocity (v_e):

Flight path angle (γ):

Scale height (h_s):

How This Is Calculated

$$ a = \left| \frac{dv}{dt} \right|_{max} = - \frac{v_e^2 sin(\gamma)}{2 h_s e} $$ where:

a = Peak deceleration (m/s²)

v_e = Entry velocity (m/s)

γ = Flight path angle (rad)

h_s = Scale height (m)

Assumptions

Flight path angle remains constant.
Exponential atmospheric density model.
No lift forces are generated.
Gravity effects are negligible.

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