Statistical analysis of attitude motion of a light capsule entering the atmosphere

The laws of distribution of the space angle of attack are analyzed for a light descent capsule on the atmosphere’s conventional boundary and on the segment of motion in dense layers of the atmosphere until the moment of reaching the maximum velocity head. It is assumed that upon detachment from a base spacecraft the angular velocity components of the descent capsule represent independent random quantities distributed according to the normal law. The shape of the descent capsule is close to a body of revolution whose instantaneous aerodynamic characteristic has a sufficiently simple form (one stable and one unstable positions of static equilibrium). It is demonstrated that there is a possibility to approximate the distribution densities by well-known laws and by approximate functions constructed on the basis of simplified models. Evolution of the distribution laws at increasing mass-inertia asymmetry of the descent capsule is studied.