Questions tagged [stability]

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12 votes
3 answers
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During spacecraft reentry why is heatshield side down the most stable orientation?

During reentry, why is the orientation of the spacecraft where the heat shield side leads the vehicle the most stable? I'm not sure how accurate KSP is, but when I reenter the atmosphere headshield ...
learningmath12345's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
345 views

What is the minimum number of thrusters required to control attitude, propulsion and spin?

What is the minimum number of thrusters required to control attitude, propulsion and spin? The first part of this problem (attitude) was asked in What is the minimum number of RCS thrusters capable of ...
Woody's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
983 views

Would the Dzhanibekov effect be a problem for Von Braun Wheels?

If we look at Von Braun's Space Station, we can see that the axis is not completely symetrical. It is longer from one side: Von Braun Space Station 1956 - YouTube that looks a lot like this T-shaped ...
Mister Smith's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
275 views

How would an SSTO adapt to various payloads?

Yet another kerbal question here. Background: I've built many SSTOs before, mainly small, light-payload or crew delivery ones (either boosted by a rocket or by itself). The reason why I've been shying ...
WarpPrime's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
211 views

How are JWST tanks baffled to dampen slosh?

After JWST slews to a new orientation, it then needs to “settle” sloshing fuel in the tanks before Fine Guidance System (FGS) can acquire the new science target. The time needed for slewing, settling ...
Woody's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
235 views

What benefit do the aerodynamic stabilization "pods" on the PSLV-CA provide?

Whilst writing this answer about the PSLV, on this informative page about its Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control system, this image (cropped) is displayed, showing that for the Core Alone ...
Organic Marble's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
118 views

How much wobble could be expected from tethering a moon to Ceres?

In the question "Why put a big rock into orbit around Ceres?", another user posted an answer that suggested such a satellite, if actually tethered to Ceres, would generate so much wobble it ...
HiddenWindshield's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
139 views

How does Hayabusa2's return capsule orient and stabilize after separation and before and during reentry?

How does Hayabusa2's return capsule orient and stabilize after separation and before and during reentry? Have it some onboard system like RCS or reaction wheels, or does it rotate around longitudinal ...
Peter Nazarenko's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

How does spin stabilization intuitively work?

I am not very familiar with physics or rocketry and I am having a lot of difficulty grasping why spinning a rocket or satellite stabilizes it. Most sources I have looked at have said either that it ...
H Huang's user avatar
  • 183
11 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why are spin-stabilized rockets stable?

Spinning rigid bodies are stable about their axes of smallest and largest moments of inertia. When there are energy dissipation modes, such as bending and propellant slosh, only the largest moment of ...
space_voyager's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
98 views

Engine configuration for lander

Which is a more stable lander design: 1.Single central engine. 2.Multiple engines located near the corners Following is the design for Tianwen-1, the Chinese Mars lander: And following is the design ...
Navoneel Karmakar's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
495 views

Orbit stability

This is my first question. I am a space enthusiast but I don't have a formal understanding of celestial mechanics, so I would like to ask how stable against perturbation an orbit is, given the ...
Unai Vivi's user avatar
  • 193
6 votes
0 answers
1k views

Why is the diameter of the boosters of some launch vehicles smaller than the diameter of their payload fairing?

Whilst watching yesterday's Starliner launch I've noticed how skinny that Centaur (3.1m) looks compared to the CST-100 (4.5m). Looking up the Atlas V I was amazed to find out that it has even larger (...
Sergiy Lenzion's user avatar
4 votes
0 answers
227 views

Why is the relative axial position of oxidizer vs fuel tank inverted in the upper stages of most rockets?

In the first stages of most rockets, e.g. Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 9, the oxidizer tank is stacked on top of the fuel tank, with the usual explanation that such an arrangement gives the rocket a ...
Meatball Princess's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
450 views

What is the maximum orbital speed beyond which the orbit around any large object in the Solar System becomes unstable?

How fast is too fast to stay in orbit around any particular large body in the Solar System?
Muze's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
163 views

Physical characteristics of Explorer I whip antennas

What was the diameter of Explorer I's whip antennas, and what material were they made of? I am trying to write a simulation of the satellite's spin reorientation. The Smithsonian lists antenna ...
Mark Sullivan's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
107 views

Shape Memory Metal Self Stablizing Solar Sail

Can the frame of a solar sail be made with shape-memory metals to contract in a way to maintain orientation to the Sun either in orbit or interplanetary? Would there be enough temperature difference ...
Muze's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
269 views

How much does the tidal effect affect satellites in a retrograde orbit?

How much more unstable are satellites in retrograde then a pro-grade orbit? Does the stability of a retrograde orbit increase with altitude? This answer said this orbit is unstable and made me think,...
Muze's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes
2 answers
585 views

What liquids last the longest in space?

I am trying to find something that is somewhat stable as a liquid in space. What happens to various liquid elements and compounds in a vacuum? Is there a list or table of the effects of local space ...
Muze's user avatar
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
256 views

Would adding a long pole to the International Space Station keep it from tumbling via gravity gradient stabilization?

What things can be done mechanically to make the ISS more stable in a dormant state without a crew? I have listed a couple of links that may work, but I am open for constructive criticism and new ...
Muze's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
76 views

What is the restoring force that brings the Blue Origin capsule back from flipping (at first)?

In the early part of the recent Blue Origin video Replay of Mission 9 Webcast they show footage of an earlier test of the capsule's emergency escape solid rocket from October 2016. Currently seen ...
uhoh's user avatar
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5 votes
0 answers
51 views

Have any vehicles used asymmetrically variable thrust for active stabilisation? [duplicate]

Have there been any tests or attempts at developing a propulsion system that uses variable thrust for attitude control (particularly during launch)? Conventional systems often use fully gimballed ...
Jack's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
192 views

Do all rigid bodies of radius r have at least one stable orbit with perihelion p such that 2r > p > r?

In reading about the TESS mission, I was ultimately led to this NASA commentary from 2006, discussing how lumpy Earth's moon is. One of the points made is that there exist only 4 orbital inclinations ...
Brian B's user avatar
  • 183
7 votes
1 answer
242 views

What do they mean by "stabilizing height"

I have found this text in an article: "The most recent test saw the missile explode about two or three minutes after launch. According to South Korean military experts, the missile reached an ...
user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
813 views

ISRO's space plane on top of of a rocket - how unstable was it?

ISRO's space plane was launched on top of a rocket into a sub-orbital trajectory, with separation from the lift vehicle around 45 km and a maximum altitude of about 65 km, based on an analysis of the ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is Mercury's orbit still considered potentially unstable (in the very long term)?

The subsection Mercury–Jupiter 1:1 perihelion-precession resonance in the Wikipedia article Stability of the Solar System links to the article Solar system could go haywire before the Sun dies in the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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