NASA is funding the development of "parachute" from plasma




If you get into the atmosphere spacecraft heat up very much i>

Space agency NASA has ordered the development of parachutes from the plasma immediately from the two companies to fully fund your order (by itself). Now, when the spacecraft enters the atmosphere of a special unit will create a magnetic field around the moon.

When disposing of the plasma apparatus, plasma is trapped by the magnetic field, and as a result will form a kind of protective bubble collision preventing apparatus with air, followed by heating the cladding to a very high temperature. Such bladder, firstly, the falling speed reducing apparatus, secondly, prevents substantial heating of the housing unit, into the atmosphere.

Currently, various kinds of probes and spacecraft thermal insulation is installed that allows you to protect the unit from overheating. Usually only heated paneling, which assumes maximum "heat stroke". When leaving a portion of the skin (even very small) of the building ships threatened with destruction due to overheating and failure of all systems. One can recall the catastrophe shuttle "Columbia", which occurred because of the separation of a piece of skin of the fuel tank, with a decrease in the unit.

Testing of the new system will take place in 2015, with microsatellite CubeSat (company MSNW ). The device is equipped with a copper coil, which will create a sufficiently powerful magnetic field around the unit (necessary for energy will be supplied lithium battery, also mounted on the device). By reducing the unit should throw a small amount of plasma that will be captured by the magnetic field, and as a result, it will create a protective "bubble" that protects the collision of air molecules with the device. In 2015, the satellite will be delivered to the ISS, and from there he was sent to Earth. The success of the mission will be only one result: the landing unit will not burn in the atmosphere.

Now the air molecules entering the plasma cloud will ionize to allow the magnetic field to capture the ionized molecules. As a result, in a short time, the unit will have its own protective bubble, which can be called a gas parachute. Such a "parachute" immediately performs two important tasks: brakes and drop the device significantly reduces the heating of the case.

If all goes well, then such a way to protect the ship with a decrease will be used in a much larger spacecraft, including landers with a team of astronauts who return from space.

Via newscientist

Source: habrahabr.ru/post/229077/

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