> On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 02:48:21PM +0200, Onno Meyer wrote: > > - Applique armor is limited to fair or lesser streamlining. > > The exo-husk rules don't mention this limitation, but they > > refer to the applique rules. So can I have very good > > streamlining and a lifting body on my exo-husk? > > Well, if you're prepared to regard streamlining as a special case of > surface features... >
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/msl0164-20090422.html NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, to be launched in 2011 and land on Mars in 2012, will use the largest parachute ever built to fly on an extraterrestrial mission. Apparently, 65,000 lbs of drag force, and 16 meters in diameter. The payload for this chute is 900kg >From WIKI The rover is folded up within an aeroshell which protects it during the travel through space and during the atmospheric entry at Mars. Atmospheric entry is accomplished using a Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) heat shield. The 4.5-m (14-ft, 9-in.) diameter heat shield, which will be the largest heat shield ever flown in space,[76] reduces the velocity of the spacecraft by ablation against the Martian atmosphere, from the interplanetary transit velocity of 5.3 to 6 km/sec down to approximately Mach-2, where parachute deployment is possible. Much of the reduction of the landing precision error is accomplished by an entry guidance algorithm, similar to that used by the astronauts returning to Earth in the Apollo space program. This guidance uses the lifting force experienced by the aeroshell to "fly out" any detected error in range and thereby arrive at the targeted landing site. In order for the aeroshell to have lift, its center of mass is offset from the axial centerline which results in an off-center trim angle in atmospheric flight, again similar to the Apollo Command Module. This is accomplished by a series of ejectable ballast masses. The lift vector is controlled by four sets of two Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters that produce approximately 500 N of thrust per pair. This ability to change the pointing of the direction of lift allows the spacecraft to react to the ambient environment, and steer toward the landing zone. Prior to parachute deployment the entry vehicle must first eject the ballast mass such that the center of gravity offset is removed. Parachute will deploy at about 10 km altitude at about 470 meters per second (about 1,050 miles per hour) ======================================================== -Coyt "The Internet, billions of electrons with nothing better to do." _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
