On Sat, 15 Feb 2003, Ian Woollard wrote:
> >7) inject water into engines, which will turn to steam as they get hot...
>
> I actually think that that works for protecting the inside of the
> engines. The outside surface is more difficult, and is about as big.
You'll have relatively-cool water vapor spilling out from the interior,
flowing over the exterior, which might suffice.
> Inflatable reentry shield?
Yep, you've just reinvented ROOST, Phil Bono's first SSTO design. As a
bonus, at least in large sizes -- ROOST was a Saturn-V-class vehicle -- if
you inflate the shield with hydrogen, it can be your landing system too.
ROOST's descent rate went to zero while it was still several thousand feet
up! As the hydrogen in the big reentry shield cooled, it would settle
slowly until it was floating with just the shield's tip in the water. Go
out with a boat (okay, a big boat), tie a line to it, and tow it into port.
> One was tested by the Ruskies fairly recently; it worked.
If memory serves, the Russian inflatable design doesn't actually protect
the nose of the spacecraft itself; it merely supplies extra drag. So that
particular design is not a thermal-protection solution.
Henry Spencer
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