Re:SpaceX and Boeing Still Need a Parachute That Always Works
by DuskStar on Wednesday November 06, 2019 @03:35PM
(#21466930)
Don't forget the biggest reason - the LES system used the same fuel as the propulsive landing system, and they only carried enough for one of the two. Which meant that landings after using the LES would require a parachute, and if you're carrying a parachute with you anyways why not just use it all the time?
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Re:SpaceX and Boeing Still Need a Parachute That Always Works
by cameldrv on Monday November 11, 2019 @01:57PM
(#21507682)
It seems to me that the parachute(s) you need for LES wouldn't need to be as complex and capable as landing parachutes.
The LES parachute(s) will be firing at quite low speeds, so they don't need to be too strong. The LES parachute(s) also don't need to be nearly as reliable or give nearly as soft a landing.
Ejection seats in combat aircraft show the same tradeoff -- it's considered acceptable to have ejection seats that fail sometimes and sometimes cause a landing injury. Hopefully you never have to use it, and so even if it fails or injures you say 10% of the time, it's much better than certain death in a pad explosion or similar.