7 ms·

Too bad they can't just parachute down...

• jakeinspace 2y ago
  With a really big parachute, you could I suppose. Although it would need to survive getting peppered with high velocity debris, and have a way of opening up without sufficient air drag.
  • Aardwolf 2y ago
    But would there be risk of burning in the atmosphere?
    • jakeinspace 2y ago
      Yes, you would burn up because after the chute slows you down just a little bit, you’ll quickly smash into the atmosphere at a fairly steep angle. One way you might be able to avoid burning up is by firing a rocket downwards to slow your fall while dragging the giant (like, tens of square km) parachute behind you to reduce velocity. Then, maybe, it would be possible to reenter at a gentle speed, eventually shutting off the rocket entirely. Of course, this would probably require something close to a weightless and infinitely strong chute.
• __d 2y ago
  In the 1960's (I think?) NASA did studies on various emergency situations in preparation for the post-Apollo space stuff that never happened. I remember a zippered inflatable sphere that could be used to EVA a person between vehicles, and I think there was an inflatable cone-shaped reentry device that got out of orbit, and down to a reasonable altitude, before being discarded and the person used a parachute for landing. A quick search turns up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Rescue_Enclosure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_Rescue_Enclosure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracone
  • extraduder_ire 2y ago
    Back in 2022, they tested an inflatable heat shield that's somewhat like what you described. IIRC, it performed great. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-Earth_Orbit_Flight_Test_of_an_Inflatable_Decelerator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-Earth_Orbit_Flight_Test_of...