01-17-2015, 09:35 PM
Another advantage of a rocket rather than a parafoil is you can go UP with a rocket... but a parafoil is limited to some variation of "down".
Well, assuming you have any hydraulic fluid for the steering vanes, that is
SpaceX experimented with parachutes/parafoils, but found the weight of the stage combined with the "ludicrous speed" high mach number entry made it impractical - or impossible. Every try to deploy a parafoil at mach 6?
Nah, never really tried past Mach 4.5, but that was back in my drinking days... :-) [just kidding]
I think back to the triple chutes used for Apollo reentry, and Mercury and Gemini before that... figured the "ludicrous speed" would/could be easily controlled until the RC flyable parafoil could be deployed at whatever the appropriate "managable speed" is needed to fly it back to the barge.
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Well, assuming you have any hydraulic fluid for the steering vanes, that is
Buzz wrote:
[quote=Paul F.]
[quote=Buzz]
Why don't they just have it pop out a giant RC parafoil that can "fly" the stage back to the barge, then use some small jets for the final touch down? ...seems like that sort of system would represent a much lighter payload, and allow for greater maneuverability, which would make a successful landing a whole lot easier.
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SpaceX experimented with parachutes/parafoils, but found the weight of the stage combined with the "ludicrous speed" high mach number entry made it impractical - or impossible. Every try to deploy a parafoil at mach 6?
Nah, never really tried past Mach 4.5, but that was back in my drinking days... :-) [just kidding]
I think back to the triple chutes used for Apollo reentry, and Mercury and Gemini before that... figured the "ludicrous speed" would/could be easily controlled until the RC flyable parafoil could be deployed at whatever the appropriate "managable speed" is needed to fly it back to the barge.
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