4 ms·
Rockets are surprisingly fragile when empty. Most of their strength is compressive, and only in one direction, and only when filled with compressed gas.
by syncsynchalt 12y ago
Rockets are surprisingly fragile when empty. Most of their strength is compressive, and only in one direction, and only when filled with compressed gas.
- robryk 12y agoI'm not sure about strength being mostly compressive -- for example, Apollo 9's Saturn V withstood a longitudinal oscillation with an amplitude of 12g[1] and it wasn't deemed to be dangerous enough to cause an abort. I'd expect maintaining pressure in the tanks not to be a significant problem, though it would need to be addressed -- pressure needs to be maintained reasonably constant during the whole burn, and it's done by admitting helium from compressed helium tanks. If the fuel/oxidizer tanks don't leak too much, the same mechanism could be used after the rocket has landed. [1] http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20080018689.pdf http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/2008001...