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#1
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Genesis: a dumb question
The photos of Genesis show it dented and damaged, but mostly intact.
Wouldn't a satellite falling from space without a parachute either burn up in the atmosphere or get completely pulverized upon impact? |
#2
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AA Bob wrote:
The photos of Genesis show it dented and damaged, but mostly intact. Wouldn't a satellite falling from space without a parachute either burn up in the atmosphere or get completely pulverized upon impact? The parachute failed, but the heat shield didn't. The chute is deployed only in the last part of the entry, after most of the slowing has been accomplished. Paul |
#3
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AA Bob wrote:
The photos of Genesis show it dented and damaged, but mostly intact. Wouldn't a satellite falling from space without a parachute either burn up in the atmosphere or get completely pulverized upon impact? Yes, for the most part, because they are not designed to survive atmospheric entry. A heat shield allows a spacecraft to reenter the atmosphere without burning up. A parachute, or a wing, allows a reentering spacecraft to survive a fall from the upper atmosphere without hitting the ground at unsafe speeds. |
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In message , Christopher M. Jones
writes AA Bob wrote: The photos of Genesis show it dented and damaged, but mostly intact. Wouldn't a satellite falling from space without a parachute either burn up in the atmosphere or get completely pulverized upon impact? Yes, for the most part, because they are not designed to survive atmospheric entry. A heat shield allows a spacecraft to reenter the atmosphere without burning up. A parachute, or a wing, allows a reentering spacecraft to survive a fall from the upper atmosphere without hitting the ground at unsafe speeds. Unsafe speed in this case presumably being terminal velocity (I've used that phrase twice recently and it still fits all too well :-( ) They'd have got away with it on Venus... -- What have they got to hide? Release the ESA Beagle 2 report. Remove spam and invalid from address to reply. |
#5
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"Jonathan Silverlight" wrote in message ... They'd have got away with it on Venus... heh, nice! |
#6
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On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 12:13:50 GMT, "AA Bob"
wrote: Wouldn't a satellite falling from space without a parachute either burn up in the atmosphere or get completely pulverized upon impact? Something falling in the atmosphere reaches a terminal velocity, and doesn't get any faster. That velocity depends on the object. For a human body it is something like 120MPH. Genesis hit at 190 MPH, slowed from the thousands of MPH when it was in space. --- Replace you know what by j to email |
#7
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a dumb
aussis suffer it's dum |
#8
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Jonathan Silverlight wrote:
In message , Christopher M. Jones writes Yes, for the most part, because they are not designed to survive atmospheric entry. A heat shield allows a spacecraft to reenter the atmosphere without burning up. A parachute, or a wing, allows a reentering spacecraft to survive a fall from the upper atmosphere without hitting the ground at unsafe speeds. Unsafe speed in this case presumably being terminal velocity (I've used that phrase twice recently and it still fits all too well :-( ) They'd have got away with it on Venus... Terminal velocity need not be an unsafe speed, depending on design. But, of course, for Genesis it was. It's possible to design such that it is not, as with lifting bodies like the Shuttle. |
#9
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Christopher wrote:
Terminal velocity need not be an unsafe speed, depending on design. But, of course, for Genesis it was. By design. Now dispersal pattern of 'harmless' biowarfare marker organisms can be studied to see what effect of rupture of 'live' Mars sample return canister would be. There is always a backdoor, ask any Keyhole. |
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