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Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo's Re-entry Tech: the Feather

Posted by samzenpus on from the you-got-to-know-when-to-fold-them dept.

Dutch Gun writes: When most people think about rocket science, they think of the challenge of getting a spacecraft into space. However, the problem of safely re-entering the atmosphere is a daunting challenge as well. Virgin Galactic introduces us to the concept of "the feather," their term for the combination of fixed-wing and capsule based solutions both used by spaceships in the past, and explain how they believe this hybrid approach to be a superior solution. SpaceShipTwo folds its wings in the initial decent, acting a bit like a badminton shuttlecock, when a capsule decent has the most advantages. In the latter part of the decent, the wings are extended, giving the vehicle the advantages of a glider-like landing.

2 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Was explained much better in Black Sky by NotDrWho · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those interested, the documentary Black Sky is a must-see on explaining how this concept (and SpaceShipOne in general) works.

    --
    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  2. Very nifty, but... by necro81 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The feathering mechanism is very clever and effective, and I'm sure that Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic love getting free advertising on Slashdot. But this concept - the mechanism, the shuttlecock behavior, the passive stabilization - was successfully demonstrated when SpaceShipOne won the X-Prize ... in 2004.

    So please explain, Oh submitter and editors, why are you cluttering up our lives with old news?