Multiterrain Earth Landing Systems Applicable for Manned Space Capsules

Abstract

A key element of the President’s Vision for Space Exploration is the development of a new space transportation system to replace Shuttle that will enable manned exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has created the Constellation Program to develop this architecture, which includes the Ares launch vehicle and Orion manned spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft must carry six astronauts and its primary structure should be reusable, if practical. These requirements led the Constellation Program to consider a baseline land landing on return to earth. To assess the landing system options for Orion, a review of current operational parachute landing systems such as those used for the F-111 escape module and the Soyuz is performed. In particular, landing systems with airbags and retrorockets that would enable reusability of the Orion capsule are investigated. In addition, Apollo tests and analyses conducted in the 1960s for both water and land landings are reviewed. Finally, test data and dynamic finite-element simulations are presented to understand land landings for the Orion spacecraft.