Re: aborting a lunar lander

From: Jay Windley (webmaster_at_clavius.org)
Date: 08/23/04 

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 11:43:38 -0600

"Bad Weather" <alanroby74spam@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:vLOdnW8jqJMAtbfcRVn-hQ@bright.net...
| I'd like to see what would have happened if the lunar rockets
| would have failed during landing when the lander was about a mile
| up in the air

What air? :-)

Seriously, that's a more survivable abort scenario. If the descent engine
had failed for any reason, the landing would be aborted. The descent stage
is discarded and the ascent engine is fired to return them to orbit. And a
mile up you have lots of time in which to do that, and to correct any
problems that the abort manuever creates. The real danger is if the descent
engine fails with only fifty feet or so left to go.

Give any pilot a choice of getting into trouble while low and slow, or while
high and fast, and he'll take the latter. 

-- 
                                          |
The universe is not required to conform   |  Jay Windley
to the expectations of the ignorant.      |  webmaster @ clavius.org

Relevant Pages

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