Questions tagged [spacecraft]
Questions regarding the craft that house humans or equipment during space exploration.
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Does Crew Dragon have a quick-release hatch?
After today's Crew Dragon launch was scrubbed, it took the pad ninjas at least ten minutes to open the hatch. One of the major criticisms of the Apollo Block 1 hatch design after the Apollo 1 fire ...
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What is the maximum velocity for feathered reentry systems?
I gather that the Virgin Galactic planes use feathered reentry systems with a maximum velocity of about 1.4 Mach, or about .5 km/s. I understand this won't work from full orbital speed, 7km/s, because ...
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What materials are used for human spacecraft pressure vessels and why?
I'm looking for what specific aluminum alloys are used for human-rated spacecraft pressure vessels (habitable module) and why.
I've been able to find the material for Orion is Al-2219 but nothing for ...
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Open source hardware at NASA
Given NASA has its open source software repository, I can not really find its open source hardware counterpart so I suppose such a thing does not exist. Is that true?
The 3D models site (GitHub mirror?...
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Spacecraft Inertial Data
I am a developer of motion analytics algorithms. I have been using a 9 Dof strap-down IMU on human and land vehicles for these algorithms.
I Would be interested to test my algorithms with IMU data ...
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Small-bodies landing strategies
Looking at past landing missions on small bodies such as Eros, Itokawa and 67P I found different landing strategies
Eros: NEAR Shoemaker probe performed 4 impulsive pre-planned open-loop maneuvers to ...
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How are electrical and other utilities interfaces added to an operating pressurised spacecraft?
How are extra utility lines and pipes, like data, electrical, ?or gasses and fluids, added to a manned, pressurised and operating vehicle or habitat, in space?
A spacecraft may be launched with, ...
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Mars curiosity rover's Maxon drive motors
I am trying to get information on the maxon drive motors on the Curiosity Rover.
Does anyone know
know what model of DC brushless motors are used
what kind of gear speed reducer is used. Is it a ...
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Is it more common for crewed spacecraft (and spacecraft that interact with them) to have navigation lights, or not?
While trying to find details on the proposed improved Space Shuttle heat shields, I stumbled across a fact I'd forgotten: the orbiters didn't have navigation lights (i.e. red left, green right, white ...
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What do they call “all the provisions provided during the launch campaign or atmospheric re-entry of a spacecraft“ in the context of astronautics?
I am reading an entry in a French dictionary and translating it into English. This entry is “sauvegarde.” In a general context, this term is translated as “safeguard,” “protection,” or even “...
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Coatings on spacecraft structures
Traditionally, aluminium spacecraft structures have been alodine-coated to protect the surface from corrosion and resistance to scratches.
However, the last few years I've noticed that more and more ...
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How to find a vector's elevation angle with respect to a point on Earth?
tl;dr: Spacecraft's antenna should point to a ground station but there is a pointing error. I want to express the error as a vector rather than a simple angle that a dot product provides, so that I ...
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Most open source spaceflight missions revealed unintentionally
As of 2021 there are few fully open source satellites (OSSI-1, UPSat, FossaSat-1, Oresat, some more?) and numerous student groups building and documenting rockets. These projects are intended to be ...
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Help: Specific Quote for Interstellar Spaceship
I know that this quote exists, i just don't know who said it or the specific language. The quote goes something like this:
If we ever decided to send a manned spaceship (generational ship) to
...
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Cable lacing in spaceflight, when was waxed cord forbidden?
During the sixties of last century traditional cable lacing was done using a thin cord, traditionally made of waxed linen. The wax should improve knot retention.
From NASA-STD-8739-4.
Using waxed ...
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Structural Mass Fraction
In spacecraft design, when talking about the structural mass fractions, the NASA website gives the following equation:
Source: https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/mass-ratios/
...
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Energy Needed for Lunar Lander to Ascend?
Is it possible to calculate how much energy was expended when the Apollo 11 lunar lander ascended from the Moon's surface to join the Command Module in lunar orbit?
Many relevant parameters for the ...
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of certain radial symmetries in spacecraft construction?
I'm mainly considering the merits and drawbacks of threefold versus fourfold (or higher, like sixfold and eightfold) radial symmetries when it comes to the construction of a fuselage for a spacecraft ...
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Future trends in Earth Observation and Communications from VLEO; are there any?
Question:
In order to better understand the wider market need and uses for Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO)-enabling technologies, I'd like to ask about future trends in Earth observation imagery and ...
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Hill approximation of the CRTBP (Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem) derivation
Dear fellow space enthusiasts,
Let us first consider the classical CRTBP equations of motion by defining the position vector of the spacecraft
\begin{equation}
\boldsymbol{r}=[x,y,z]^{T},
\end{...
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Effect of delaying electron ion recombination in ion engine plumes; is a tiny additional thrust component available?
I have a follow-up question in response to this answer by @uhoh, basically asking about higher order effects alluded to in their answer.
If the ion exhaust plume coming off an ion engine remain ...
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If the ISS went to the moon, what would fail first
If the ISS was propelled into an orbit (any orbit) around the moon, what would fail first?
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How do deep-space spacecraft and space stations protect the crew and electronic equipment from radiation during long-duration missions?
Question: How would a deep-space spacecraft protect its crew and electronics from cosmic radiation, solar wind, and solar events?
I'm trying to design a hypothetical space station and have been doing ...
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How do you calculate burns needed to land?
Assume I was landing a rocket and wanted to do calculations on how to correctly land. How do you determine at what time you fire the engine and at what power to successfully land on a predetermined ...
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What is the total mass of everything launched that are still in space?
Inspired by this question, total mass ever launched to orbit (this is a different question, as many of the things launched have decayed by now.)
How much of it is still up there? Out of that again, ...
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After a UFO encounter or a UFO sighting, what is the standard procedure? How does one document or report it?
How many astronauts have reported an alien encounter of some kind?
From this question I saw that there's a few astronauts who have told about seeing a UFO of ET origin.
In the selected answer there's ...
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How to Analyze and Size Spacecraft Structures: Loads Development & Structural Dynamics
Hello, I'm a mechanical/aerospace design engineer trying to expand into structural analysis.
What I'm looking for:
A guide or summary as to 1) how spacecraft design loads are determined, and 2) how ...
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Escaping Earth - how could one attempt to find the best solution to this trajectory optimization problem in practice?
If there is a satellite in low Earth orbit, with a limited delta-v budget (but high enough to escape Earth) and limited delta-v-rate (thrust), how could one find an acceleration schedule and ...
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How to get the reduction in Heat Flux due to Barbecue Roll on Spacecraft?
As we know, to keep the surface of the spacecraft relatively cool, we spin the spacecraft so that not just one side of the spacecraft is heated.
Due to this what is the effective Heat Flux encountered ...
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HTOL vs VTOL first stages
For a generic launch vehicle, would Horizontal Take off be better than VTOL like most orbital launch vehicles?
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What happens if a centimeter-sized particle hits a spaceship at orbital velocity?
How much damage would a centimeter sized particle weighing a few grams do when it impacts a spaceship at orbital velocity? Let's say 30 km/s (Earth's rotation speed around the Sun). Such a particle ...
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Oxygen Generation System
Is there any possible failure that OGS (oxygen generation system which ISS has) can overproduce oxygen in a spaceship? Just wondering the possibility how can spaceship explode by themselves without ...
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how to soft-kill or soft-deny a target satellite?
Thanks to the rapid growth of commercial space technologies, the use of space by new players is increasing. To prevent outlaw or problematic new spacecraft let's suppose there is a "space police&...
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Apollo LM explosive valves
Why were explosive valves used on the helium pressurization systems?
Are explosive valves also used on systems pressurized with Nitrogen?
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Trim controls for Apollo RCS systems?
Did any of the Apollo-era spacecraft have any method of trimming the RCS jets? Due to variable mass placement (fuel tanks and sublimators emptying, astronauts moving, item stowage, location of moon ...
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Spacecraft altitude measurement
While in atmosphere, altitude is measured by using pressure gauges - higher the altitude, lower the pressure. How is the altitude measured once we cross the atmosphere?
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What was the volume of the Space Shuttle orbiter, not just the crew cabin or cargo bay but the total volume of the entire craft?
For context, after an in-depth Google search, I asked the question "What was the volume of the Space Shuttle orbiter, not just the crew cabin or cargo bay but the total volume of the entire craft?" on ...
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Recalculate Orbital Elements after a ΔV
I would like to write a program able to simulate a keplerian orbite given an initial position and velocity (r0, v0) and able to manage accelerations in different directions.
To simulate the orbit, I ...
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thrusters, force torque, distribution matrix , orbit maneuver
I have a few questions about computing torques and forces.
I use the same configuration as in the thesis titled An Attitude Control Sysytem Design Based on the Turksat-1b Geostationary Satellite.
...
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What will be the accuracy of an Atomic (Quantum) Inertial Sensor used in spaceflight?
In relation to the question I was looking for the perfect sensor that would help me achieve perfect non rotating spacecraft. My search made me look for exotic phenomenon that can be utilized for such ...
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Attitude and orbit thrusters catalog
Typically, when trying to adjust simulation parameters (of orbit control, attitude control...) to real world values in order to validate algorithms with comparisons with past and current mission ...
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How high will this rocket be, when MECO occurs?
Find the altitude of the rocket at the time of engine cut-off.
Rocket Mass = 369208 kg,
Rocket Area = 391 m2,
Fuel = 170697 L,
Fuel density = 21 kg/l,
Exhaust Speed = 1338 m/s,
Exhaust Area = 164 m2
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Moving target during rendezvous
I am currently studying rendezvous and docking. I noticed the elliptic Hill equations only consider the acceleration of the target satellite due to its elliptic orbit (and fictitious forces in LVLH ...
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Pressure and Leak Testing of Rockets
For any pressure vessel, hydrostatic/pneumatic pressure testing and helium leak testing are carried out as per UG-99/UG-100 and ASME, Section V, Article 10, respectively. For a rocket, what are the ...
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How does China (CASC or CAST) solve Groundsegment?
I was studying Queqiao space mission and I found a lot about how is Tracking, Telemetry and Command or TT&C solved for space component, but not how is secured Space-Ground connectivity - what type ...
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Have any satellites been decommissioned because of oxidization?
Comments on Are galvanised steel parts safe to use in space? mention that oxidation happens in the upper atmosphere because of the relatively high presence of oxygen ions.
This is apparently to the ...
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Defining overshoot and undershoot boundary of entry corridor
I have been reading up on the mathematic of atmospheric entry. I have found different methods to theoretically calculate the corridor width but I don't understand how to define the overshoot and ...
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Major topic headings for lunar CubeSat mission design planning?
I am working on a project to design a complete mission for a lunar CubeSat.
Assuming that the launch segment is already covered and I need to focus on the spacecraft design.
I wanted to know what ...
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How many Starship launches would it take to build this simple centrifugal space station concept?
Every centrifugal space station design I have seen uses either a large curved material or an inflatable structure. There have been no large scale curved material construction in space and only one ...
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application of optimal control for spacecraft control on elliptical orbits
I want to start writting paper for spacecraft control on elliptical orbits, start with introduction of what is orbits and different object out of earth and on orbits(currently and till now) so I want ...
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