Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigD  ( Bolding mine)How do you plan to: 1) insert the vehicle into a low orbit? and 2) kill all orbital velocity? without a rocket motor and fuel?
Recall we’re dealing with the moon, so neither aerobraking (practically no atmosphere) nor electrodynamic propulsion (practically no magnetic field) are available alternatives, leaving the possibility of some sort of mechanical braking by bouncing/glancing/dragging something across the Moon’s rugged surface at several Km/s. I don’t think there’s any material capable of withstanding that! |
Ahh, I should explain myself fully when I post (except I am often way too wordy as it is).
I was thinking of using the system Janus described (which I really liked BTW). Drop your orbital speed with a rocket and then discard the rocket, tanks, and structure you do not need.
At that point inflate the crash bag on the lower part of the lander (probably a modified cone shape) and extend a telescopic tower 5-15 meter above the lander. This will contain small rockets (pointing down on the cardinal points) to slow decent, and a camera to video the process, and again the physics of this are very simple to model. The position of the rockets would keep the crash pads pointing down, and the lander at a reasonably survivable speed.
The crash pad system using a modified honeycomb would require VERY little air to inflate because of the vacuum. Each cell in the crash pad is designed to burst at a specific spot with a hole diameter designed to allow the air out at a specific speed.
These systems and the physics involved are used constantly in the motion picture industry and the physics are well understood.
Rigging a test for this system should not be that challenging I would think, but not having the practical experience I will leave that to others to determine.