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KD5NJR > SPACE 17.12.16 20:47l 20 Lines 1957 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 5ORSNB545H3X
Read: GUEST
Subj: interesting capsule shapes
Path: IW8PGT<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<N0KFQ<AE5ME
Sent: 161217/1844Z 49154@AE5ME.#NEOK.OK.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.65
http://www.astronautix.com/3/3crewliftin-entryconcept.html
Some interesting ideas here from the early days of "space capsules".
There is a guy down the road from me that flys a powered parachute. I wonder that would be like ,,. to combine that with a balloon.
Check out the web link to see some pictures...
73
scott
kd5njr
********
In the early 1960's, in the hey-day of the X-20 Dynasoar, it seemed that the US military would naturally keep building military aerospacecraft that would just keep going higher and faster. It was also supposed that the pilot would have to be given the equivalent of an ejection seat - some means of bailing out of the spacecraft in case of catastrophic failure or enemy attack.
So it came to pass that a variety of foaming, inflatable, deployable systems were proposed - among them the famous General Electric MOOSE and the Space General FIRST. These gave the suited pilot the chance to step out into the void from a crippled craft, pull the ripcord, and manually cannonball or glide to the earth's surface.
In the late 1960's, when the Air Force ILRV and NASA Shuttle were being studied, these designs were revisited - now upgraded for three or more crew. In the end, they were not adopted - even after the Challenger disaster. Since the payload impact was not great, one can only suppose that the idea just seemed too fantastic to be really credible.
Here is the ultimate adventure awaiting some millionaire thrill seeker. The FAA may not approve, but how about strapping your fanny to some surplus Russian SLBM or developing country space launcher. A quick boost to orbit, a few photo opportunities, then the challenging retrofire and that long free fall or paraglide back to the earth.... As sports become ever more extreme and expensive, surely the next millennium will find the spaceways filled not with government employees but rather daredevils out for their Sunday adrenaline rush...
© 1997-2016 Mark Wade
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