2 ms·
They're safer than the Shuttle was, though. Capsules are designed (I believe) to survive total loss of control on entry, although a purely ballistic entry can
by pfdietz 2y ago
They're safer than the Shuttle was, though. Capsules are designed (I believe) to survive total loss of control on entry, although a purely ballistic entry can have decelerations of up to 15 gees, IIRC.
- pixl97 2y agoThe capsule will survive, the strawberry jelly on the inside, not so much.
- pfdietz 2y agoThere's at least one Soviet entry that happened ballistically, IIRC, with no deaths (they had other deaths on entry, but for other reasons like loss of air or tangling of parachute lines.) The peak acceleration on ballistic entry is independent of the ballistic coefficient of the entry vehicle (but is a function of the L/D ratio during lifting entry; even small L/D can greatly reduce the peak acceleration.)