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Normally re-entry vehicles fall, not fly/glide (except the shuttle), and as we know the FAA is bad...eh good at both "modes" (Boeing).
by BSDobelix 3y ago
Normally re-entry vehicles fall, not fly/glide (except the shuttle), and as we know the FAA is bad...eh good at both "modes" (Boeing).
- rtkwe 3y agoThe only thing this is changing is that launchers have to get reentry approval before the launch is approved because a company messed up and thought they didn't need it or it was already approved and caused issues. Also your distinction isn't as clear as it seems the Apollo capsule for example was able to use it's RCS to steer during reentry because the lift generated by the capsule was not directly on the center line. Where's the line between gliding and falling when even a brick can act like a lifting body due to the extreme speeds?
- BSDobelix 3y ago>Where's the line between gliding and falling when even a brick can act like a lifting body due to the extreme speeds? Good point, and also not, but overall i would make the biggest distinction that one is a full ballistic object (reentry vehicle), and one is a gliding brick (shuttle) that makes s-turns to slow down, it's also a ballistic object but with much more freedom. The Insane Engineering of Re-Entry https://youtu.be/ivLX9o6Ayl8?t=1333 https://youtu.be/ivLX9o6Ayl8?t=1333