Photo: Space Forge/ESA
Space exploration is generally a dangerous business by design, but the different stages of a spacecraft launch and recovery come with different grades of danger. And at the top of the list sits something called re-entry.
Re-entry is the procedure through which a spacecraft, crewed or otherwise, enters the atmosphere of our planet (or even another) and starts descending to reach the surface. During its high-speed descent, the spacecraft rubs against the atmosphere of the planet, generating enough heat to literally destroy it.
We've been able to eliminate that risk (although not entirely) by deploying heat shields on the outside of returning spacecraft. The ones currently in use are called ablative shields, meaning they disperse the heat generated by re-entry by gradually burning themselves off. Because of this, no current heat shield is reusable. But that may change in the future, if an idea backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) proves its worth.
The concept is the brainchild of a British startup called Space Forge. It left the drawing board a long time ago, and it has repeatedly been tested by being dropped from as high as 17 km (11 miles). It will also fly on an actual space mission called ForgeStar-1A later in 2023. But what is it, exactly, and how does it work?
Unlike ablative shields, which are always deployed, this one has been designed to "spring” out of a spacecraft, origami-style. It's made of alloy fabrics strong enough to withstand the heat of re-entry. It doesn't do this by ablation, but by reflecting that heat away, spreading it across its surface and slowly eliminating it. In this manner, it doesn't get destroyed and is "fully reusable” according to its makers.
The shield is called Pridwen, taking after the shield legendary King Arthur used according to British folklore. As it deploys, it takes the shape of an expanding shuttlecock. And, as an interesting side effect, it also helps the spacecraft slow down.
In fact, it slows it down so much that it may very well eliminate the need for parachutes to bring the spacecraft safely on the surface. True, it can't slow it fast enough to allow for a land or water landing with no parachute, but just enough to be captured by nets carried by drones floating at sea.
It's this recovery procedure, aside from the shield itself, of course, that will be practiced during ForgeStar-1A. At the moment, not much is known about the mission itself, except for the fact it will depart from American soil.
If successful, the Pridwen will go on to serve as a tool helping with the return to Earth of goods resulting from orbital manufacturing (something that's not a thing yet, but probably will soon): pharmaceuticals, superconductors, alloys, you name it.
We'll come back to the story once we learn more about the new heat shield's first mission.
We've been able to eliminate that risk (although not entirely) by deploying heat shields on the outside of returning spacecraft. The ones currently in use are called ablative shields, meaning they disperse the heat generated by re-entry by gradually burning themselves off. Because of this, no current heat shield is reusable. But that may change in the future, if an idea backed by the European Space Agency (ESA) proves its worth.
The concept is the brainchild of a British startup called Space Forge. It left the drawing board a long time ago, and it has repeatedly been tested by being dropped from as high as 17 km (11 miles). It will also fly on an actual space mission called ForgeStar-1A later in 2023. But what is it, exactly, and how does it work?
Unlike ablative shields, which are always deployed, this one has been designed to "spring” out of a spacecraft, origami-style. It's made of alloy fabrics strong enough to withstand the heat of re-entry. It doesn't do this by ablation, but by reflecting that heat away, spreading it across its surface and slowly eliminating it. In this manner, it doesn't get destroyed and is "fully reusable” according to its makers.
The shield is called Pridwen, taking after the shield legendary King Arthur used according to British folklore. As it deploys, it takes the shape of an expanding shuttlecock. And, as an interesting side effect, it also helps the spacecraft slow down.
In fact, it slows it down so much that it may very well eliminate the need for parachutes to bring the spacecraft safely on the surface. True, it can't slow it fast enough to allow for a land or water landing with no parachute, but just enough to be captured by nets carried by drones floating at sea.
It's this recovery procedure, aside from the shield itself, of course, that will be practiced during ForgeStar-1A. At the moment, not much is known about the mission itself, except for the fact it will depart from American soil.
If successful, the Pridwen will go on to serve as a tool helping with the return to Earth of goods resulting from orbital manufacturing (something that's not a thing yet, but probably will soon): pharmaceuticals, superconductors, alloys, you name it.
We'll come back to the story once we learn more about the new heat shield's first mission.
Google News