Aerojet Rescue Method of 1960s

The XRV shown in Marooned added what I think was a very practical idea. A hollow cone called a shroud was lowered over the vehicle to fit flush with the booster. It had a window for the pilot which was precisely positioned during attachment.
 
edwest4 said:
The XRV shown in Marooned added what I think was a very practical idea. A hollow cone called a shroud was lowered over the vehicle to fit flush with the booster. It had a window for the pilot which was precisely positioned during attachment.
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too complex to install quickly. it makes crew ingress complex and crew escape problematic.
 
Byeman said:
too complex to install quickly. it makes crew ingress complex and crew escape problematic.
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How so? After the XRV was attached, the shroud cone was lowered over it. Recall that it had to deal with high crosswinds. The cone could be ejected before rescue.
 
edwest4 said:
How so? After the XRV was attached, the shroud cone was lowered over it. Recall that it had to deal with high crosswinds. The cone could be ejected before rescue.
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The movie is sci-fi. Fairings takes several hours to attach. Crew escape as before launch while still on the pad.
 
Byeman said:
The movie is sci-fi. Fairings takes several hours to attach. Crew escape as before launch while still on the pad.
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Your point is? How many people watching have such technical knowledge? Remember that the XRV was flown in by helicopter and the pilot was confident there would be no problems. That's called bravery in the face of possibly losing your life to save others.
 
edwest4 said:
Your point is? How many people watching have such technical knowledge? Remember that the XRV was flown in by helicopter and the pilot was confident there would be no problems. That's called bravery in the face of possibly losing your life to save others.
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You said it was practical and I am stating that it isn't. Nor was the delivery by helicopter.
 
If you're going to do launch of a crewed vehicle inside a fairing, then the fairing needs to be installed during vehicle integration, with crew access and egress through the fairing. Details of how to implement this are left to the reader - but I'm pretty sure it's been proposed.
 
edwest4 said:
Remember that the XRV was flown in by helicopter and the pilot was confident there would be no problems. That's called bravery in the face of possibly losing your life to save others.
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That's called a Hollywood movie script. Any resemblance to reality is completely incidental, accidental and unintended (according to the lawyers). Or did you think that "Jurassic Park" was a documentary? o_O
 
Yellow Palace said:
If you're going to do launch of a crewed vehicle inside a fairing, then the fairing needs to be installed during vehicle integration, with crew access and egress through the fairing. Details of how to implement this are left to the reader - but I'm pretty sure it's been proposed.
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I’d think it would scissor close as soon as the hatch closes. Anyone ever attach riser lines to fairings?

Fairing opens (if not breaking into cubes like safety glass).

Fairing acts as drogue…slowing the craft the whole time while arcing up and over.

Fairing is also a heat-shield you lose on return so your capsule is nice and clean after re-entry. :)
 
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publiusr said:
I’d think it would scissor close as soon as the hatch closes. Anyone ever attach riser lines to fairings?

Fairing opens (if not breaking into cubes like safety glass).

Fairing acts as drogue…slowing the craft the whole time while arcing up and over.

Fairing is also a heat-shield you lose on return so your capsule is nice and clean after re-entry. :)
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No you close the fairing as soon as possible to limit contamination and weather effects. A hatch in the fairing that can be opened only when needed and preferably inside a clear room where the spacecraft hatch can also be opened in a controlled environment is prefered. In most cases the fairing is filled with an inert gas, (such as nitrogen) which will slowly leak out as the vehicle climbs higher and helps ensure you have no water vapor or other contaminants you have to worry about.

Randy
 
For sensitive payloads...for capsules maybe you don't have to worry as much...if the fairing is also the heat shield the capsule won't be scorched as much.
 
publiusr said:
For sensitive payloads...for capsules maybe you don't have to worry as much...if the fairing is also the heat shield the capsule won't be scorched as much.
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You worry as much, having the outside of your capsule contaminated is always going to be an issue. I should point out that fairings ARE heat shields as they DO protect the payload on the way up from heating and impacts.

(Edit because I hit send too soon :) )
Keep in mind that 'contamination' can be just about anything so you want to limit the amount of time that the surroundings can cause contamination... Like an endangered woodpecker burrowing into your insulating foam for example :)

Randy
 
publiusr said:
1. I’d think it would scissor close as soon as the hatch closes. Anyone ever attach riser lines to fairings?

2. Fairing opens (if not breaking into cubes like safety glass).

3. Fairing acts as drogue…slowing the craft the whole time while arcing up and over.
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1a. No, because there are fasteners/actuators along the whole split line.
1b. No, because the idea is not to impede the fairing. It is heavy and it is something that shouldn't linger around the capsule during descent.
2. They don't shatter at jettison. It is water impact that does most of the damage.
3a. Don't want a drogue on the way up
3b. It's mass would have more of an effect for slowing
3c. See 1b
 
RanulfC said:
No you close the fairing as soon as possible to limit contamination and weather effects. A hatch in the fairing that can be opened only when needed and preferably inside a clear room where the spacecraft hatch can also be opened in a controlled environment is prefered. In most cases the fairing is filled with an inert gas, (such as nitrogen) which will slowly leak out as the vehicle climbs higher and helps ensure you have no water vapor or other contaminants you have to worry about.

Randy
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It is condition air. GN2 is only use on vehicles with haz gases and Falcon 9. But that is only during prop loading in the count. And it doesn't slowly leak out. The air/GN2 is not recirculated, it is one pass. Flow rates like 300 lb/min have to be vented on the pad.
 

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