Not wanting to deviate too much into the military sphere, but I'm curious - could this type of tech be useful for MIRV?
Quote from: sanman on 09/16/2012 07:19 pmNot wanting to deviate too much into the military sphere, but I'm curious - could this type of tech be useful for MIRV?How so? They don't need braking.
This reminds me of some interesting work I saw a while ago on using magneto-hydrodynamic forces for aerobraking and thermal protection...Here it is - probably discussed previously on this forum somewhere:http://selenianboondocks.com/2010/02/mhd-aerobraking-and-thermal-protection-part-i-introduction/http://selenianboondocks.com/2010/02/mhd-aerobraking-and-thermal-protection-part-ii-atmospheric-reentry-for-rlvs/http://selenianboondocks.com/2010/02/mhd-aerobraking-and-thermal-protection-part-iii-aerobraking-and-aerocapture/
No, but anything that can be used for braking can be used for steering as well - just manipulate the field. Certainly MIRVs could benefit from being steered to target, or even steered for evasive purposes on the way down.
Quote from: sanman on 09/20/2012 01:10 pmNo, but anything that can be used for braking can be used for steering as well - just manipulate the field. Certainly MIRVs could benefit from being steered to target, or even steered for evasive purposes on the way down.They already are, using systems that are simpler and less complicated.
Okay, fair enough, Jim - but what about stuff like hypersonic vehicles/missiles? A recent hypersonic test failed because the control surfaces weren't effective. With magnetism, you could probably exert much better control authority, without worrying about mechanical failure due to the high stresses of hypersonic flight.
The problem with conventional mechanical braking in the hypersonic regime is the insufficient level of contact - especially in less dense atmosphere. That's why Curiosity had to land with rockets, because there wasn't enough atmosphere for the chutes to grab onto. A magnetic field could be expanded to contact much more atmosphere, to grab at it. And because it doesn't have conventional moving parts, it's less prone to failure.
Quote from: sanman on 09/21/2012 04:49 amThe problem with conventional mechanical braking in the hypersonic regime is the insufficient level of contact - especially in less dense atmosphere. That's why Curiosity had to land with rockets, because there wasn't enough atmosphere for the chutes to grab onto. A magnetic field could be expanded to contact much more atmosphere, to grab at it. And because it doesn't have conventional moving parts, it's less prone to failure.Wrong on all accounts. You have no basis to make such statements.