In Chap. 5 the different entry mechanisms were discussed, i.e., ballistic, gliding, and skipping flight. Each mission type had in common that they led to a landing on the target body, starting from a (closed) orbit around this body or reaching the atmospheric interface on an inbound trajectory, e.g., the Apollo returning from the Moon. Such a trajectory is a typical example of an aerocapture trajectory, or, to be more specific, a direct-entry aerocapture. The direct entry of the Apollo capsule was followed by a semi-ballistic flight and concluded with a sea landing in the Pacific Ocean. During this single-pass trajectory, all kinetic energy had to be converted to heat before the capsule’s speed had reduced to an acceptable level for parachute deployment. One can imagine that this resulted in a very high thermal loading that could only be withstood by an ablative thermal-protection shield. An alternative to this rather violent entry is, of course, the skipping flight, executed by several of the Zond spacecraft, and as a backup also present in the Apollo guidance system. The skipping in and out of the atmosphere reduces the velocity in such a way that the overall thermo-mechanical loading on the vehicle reduces significantly.
Aero-assisted Manoeuvres
Springer Aerospace Techn.
2024-12-26
135 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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