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International Space Flight (ESA, Russia, China and others) => Russian Launchers - Soyuz, Progress and Uncrewed => Topic started by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 05:58 pm

Title: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 05:58 pm
Hi all,

Up till now I can't figure out what those things are on the payload fairing of a Soyuz launcher (pls see included picture). Can somebody please help me out? Also, in what situation will those things be used and how will it work? Thanks in advance!  :)
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Danderman on 09/05/2010 06:08 pm
Air brakes for the escape system.
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:11 pm
Air brakes for the escape system.

For aerobraking? For what use? Won't the soyuz spacecraft just slip out of the payload fairing??
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: edkyle99 on 09/05/2010 06:12 pm
Air brakes for the escape system.

And here's a link to a graphic that shows their function.

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/suzymchale/mars-center/soyuz-abort.gif

They basically act like fins on a model rocket to keep the escaping module/shroud section aerodynamically stable.  The crew module stays attached to the shroud for a few seconds before being jettisoned.

 - Ed Kyle
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:16 pm

And here's a link to a graphic that shows their function.

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/suzymchale/mars-center/soyuz-abort.gif

They basically act like fins on a model rocket to keep the escaping module section aerodynamically stable.

 - Ed Kyle


Thanks Ed, but why would they want to aerobrake the whole escape system during the booster failure scenario, if they want to pull the crew safely away from the explosion? You know what I mean, pulling and braking. It doesn't make sense.
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Stephan on 09/05/2010 06:19 pm
It's not for braking, but for aerodynamic stabilization.
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Stan Black on 09/05/2010 06:20 pm
aerodynamic stabilisers

N-1 rocket had something similiar
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:21 pm
It's not for braking, but for aerodynamic stabilization.

Many thanks to Stephan, now I get it. Thanks again!  ;D
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:21 pm
aerodynamic stabilisers

N-1 rocket had something similiar

Thank u too, Stan!  :D
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:23 pm
One more question:

As opposed to Russians, why don't US launchers use "aerodynamic stabilisers"???  :-\
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: edkyle99 on 09/05/2010 06:26 pm

And here's a link to a graphic that shows their function.

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/suzymchale/mars-center/soyuz-abort.gif

They basically act like fins on a model rocket to keep the escaping module section aerodynamically stable.

 - Ed Kyle


Thanks Ed, but why would they want to aerobrake the whole escape system during the booster failure scenario, if they want to pull the crew safely away from the explosion? You know what I mean, pulling and braking. It doesn't make sense.


As the attached high resolution photo of Soyuz TMA-6 shows, the brakes look like "cheese graters".  They serve to move the center of air pressure back in a hurry, but don't actually block all of the air flow. These are used in some missles, where they are called "grid", or "lattice" fins. 

See, for example, http://viswiki.com/en/Grid_fin

 - Ed Kyle 
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: ycs86 on 09/05/2010 06:38 pm

As the attached high resolution photo of Soyuz TMA-6 shows, the brakes look like "cheese graters".  They serve to move the center of air pressure back in a hurry, but don't actually block all of the air flow. These are used in some missles, where they are called "grid", or "lattice" fins.

 - Ed Kyle 

Great explanation! Thanks again, Ed! Now I completely get this whole thing! The main goal is to make the projectile point constantly at the "target" (in this case predefined flight pad) ;D
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Phillip Clark on 05/26/2013 08:05 am
They are also seen on the payload shroud for the Zond/L-1 missions.
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Bernard de Go Mars on 06/18/2013 04:55 pm
Hi guys!

these "grid fins" work well as fins.

The problem is that one often thinks that they work as "air brakes", i.e. with their Drag, as they work producing a real normal lift.

And that's why, may be, you found  paradoxical that, at one side, rockets speed the Soyuz, while, at the other side, "air brakes" slow it !


That's why the name of "Lattice purposes" is preferable pedagogically.

As Stephan said, these lattice fins stabilize the Soyuz that is otherwise aerodynamically unstable (too heavy for its rear).


I spent a long study on this subject at the end of which I propose a simple method of calculating their Normal Lift (unfortunatly in French).

Friendly yours,

Bernard de Go Mars
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Nicolas PILLET on 06/18/2013 05:03 pm
I spent a long study on this subject at the end of which I propose a simple method of calculating their Normal Lift (unfortunatly in French).

Why do you say 'unfortunately' ??  ;)
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Bernard de Go Mars on 06/18/2013 08:47 pm
Hi Nicolas !
Thanks for your answer.

I wrote "unfortunately in French" because it is a kind of courtesy to the rest of the world (that is not supposed to speak French).

In fact, I used to write my text a majority of English texts.

This text can be download here :

http://inter.action.free.fr/tmp/gomars/PORTANCE_PANNEAUX_CELLULAIRES.pdf

I expect this text is something like 200 pages long !

Friendly,

Bernard de Go Mars
Title: Re: Question about the things attached on payload fairing of the Soyuz launcher!
Post by: Bernard de Go Mars on 01/21/2014 07:34 am
Many people think that grid fins work as brakes. In fact this is not the case! : Grid fins really create a normal force which is quite simply calculable (at subsonic speed).

If gridfins functioned as brakes, the balance would be a disaster.

Friendly yours,

Bernard de Go Mars