In the case of Delta II second stage tanks some analysis concluded that what allows them to survive reenty is that a hole initially burns in one end which results in a shape that creates a shockwave. The shockwave then deflects most of the heat around the tank.
Some pictures if you're curious. http://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/reentry/recovered.html Probably hard to implement on a sub-nanosat scale but suggests another approach. Lee On Sunday 09 August 2009 15:16:04 Bob Bruninga wrote: > What if the surface of the re-entry vehicle radically changed during the > re-entry phase? As the density of the atomosphere increased, the surface > area decreases. An ablative system that instead of burning off a thin skin > of material as in most re-entry systems, you planned on burning off 95% of > the original drag volume? What re-entry profile could be achieved Could > we make a golfball core "pinger" that could survive? > > With the cheap $8k launches and only 3 month mission life, this idea of > concentrating on making an interesting mission at the re-entry phase is a > new opportunity.. > > The ultimate fox hunt? > > Bob, WB4APR > _______________________________________________ > Sent via amsat...@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. > Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! > Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb _______________________________________________ Sent via amsat...@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
