Depreciation of descent vehicles when landing on the surface of planets

Аuthors

Petrov Y. A., Breshev E. N., Sergeev D. V.^*

Lavochkin Research and Production Association, NPO Lavochkin, 24, Leningradskay str., Khimki, Moscow region, 141400, Russia

*e-mail: sergeevdv@laspace.ru

Abstract

The spacecraft touchdown on the surface of planets and their satellites is one of the crucial stages of the flight, since the surfaces of the planets are insufficiently studied, the kinematic parameters of the spacecraft motion may vary in a wide range.

To dampen the spacecraft touchdown, landing devices, which should ensure a touchdown with permissible overloads and a stable spacecraft position on the surface are employed.

The article considers the descent vehicles that do not have special mechanical shock-absorbing supports, and energy absorbers are installed directly on the body of the descent vehicles.

At a hard surface touchdown, such as rock outcrops, volcanic rocks, sedimentary rocks, the soil practically does not deform, and the energy of the device is being extinguished due to the energy absorbers operation. Materials with high plasticity such as foams, honeycombs, thin-walled crumpled shells, as well as inflatable shells are being employed as energy absorbers for cushioning the descent vehicle. They differ in the magnitude of the maximum relative deformation, maximum compression force, the shape of the compression diagram, and elastic recoil energy when removing the external load.

The article considers the technique for the overloads computing while spherical descent vehicles touchdown on the loose and hard ground.

This technique may be employed for the development of the descent vehicles touchdown damping on the surface of planets and their satellites, with regard to various soil models.

Telemetric data from accelerometers on the spacecraft acceleration at the impact with the surface and this impact duration, allows computing the soil bearing capacity and its density at the touchdown site by the proposed methodology.

Touchdown ensuring of the descent vehicles with permissible overloads is especially important for vehicles returned to Earth with soil. The design of the descent vehicles to confirm the calculated maximum overloads should be tested for strength during throwing tests. Besides, the capsule with the soil should remain sealed after touchdown of the descent vehicles on any soil to exclude microbiological contamination of the surface of the touchdown area.

Keywords:

shock absorption, energy absorbers, soil, overload, soil density, contact velocity of the descent vehicle

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