Kaman Rotochute.

RyanC

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Found at NARA II Still Photography Floor in the USAF Astronautics stuff..

Idea was you'd use the ROTOCHUTE to slow your descent from orbit; and then once in atmosphere, use it to change your landing site sort of like a helicopter.
 

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RyanCrierie said:
Found at NARA II Still Photography Floor in the USAF Astronautics stuff..

Idea was you'd use the ROTOCHUTE to slow your descent from orbit; and then once in atmosphere, use it to change your landing site sort of like a helicopter.

Interesting, the capsule seems to be a Mercury.
Anyway even Russians did some test of a similiar system, for Soyuz descent capsule.
 
also look ESA on the concept too, a german capsul desgin use simelar Rotochute
but they lost against HERMES
 
Also interesting is that the capsule is marked AIR FORCE.

A quick search of the NASA archives online shows noting about the Kaman rotachute being applied to manned spacecraft. Patents referring to "rotachute" refer to sonobouys or bombs.
 
mholt said:
Also interesting is that the capsule is marked AIR FORCE.

A quick search of the NASA archives online shows noting about the Kaman rotachute being applied to manned spacecraft. Patents referring to "rotachute" refer to sonobouys or bombs.

Be careful about the spelling. I believe "rotOchute" and "rotAchute" refered to different patents and programs.
 
FutureSpaceTourist said:
Does any one know if this inspired the Rotary Rocket ROTON?
Not directly though Gary Hudson did say that the Rotochute put them onto finding some of the other NASA projects for rotor-recovery.
Hudson has always tried to combine systems where possible to reduce vehicle mass, the combination of increased rocket efficiency at low altitude and the ability to recover by rotor worked together well.

Randy
 
Thanks for the reply.

RanulfC said:
[...] the combination of increased rocket efficiency at low altitude and the ability to recover by rotor worked together well.

Concept is certainly interesting but the ROTON was a complete nightmare to fly! Brian Binnie has been quoted as saying that he feared he wouldn't survive if he had to fly it once or twice more.

I don't know enough to tell whether it was a fundamental issue or 'just' an execution problem.
 
FutureSpaceTourist said:
Thanks for the reply.

RanulfC said:
[...] the combination of increased rocket efficiency at low altitude and the ability to recover by rotor worked together well.

Concept is certainly interesting but the ROTON was a complete nightmare to fly! Brian Binnie has been quoted as saying that he feared he wouldn't survive if he had to fly it once or twice more.

I don't know enough to tell whether it was a fundamental issue or 'just' an execution problem.
My read is an execution issue. Top mounted rotors are inheirently unstable, more so with that rather ungainly "traffic-cone" design needed for a rocketship. Mounting the rotor at the bottom would have been more stable overall, and given the thrusters more control authority. Not that the design is really meant to "fly" at all though, flight capability was always going to be minimul compared to a "real" VTOL design.

Still, I have to admit there seems to be possibilities with the design and concept I'd like to have seen explored further.

Randy
 
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