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India’s Manned Mission Tied to its Biggest Parachute Yet
Space Capsule Recovery Experiment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Space Capsule Recovery Experiment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SRIHARIKOTA: One giant chute for the module, one tiny step for ISRO. Forty-three years after Yuri Gagarin spent an entire day in space, the Indian Space Research Organisation is testing a module that may just carry an Indian or two in space, a “few years” from now. Preparing a test module called CARE (Crew Module Atmospheric Reentry Experiment) to be shot 126 km into orbit, this is an experimental mission that will help get approvals from the government to attempt manned space flight. “To gain confidence before our deadline, we have decided to test the Crew Recovery Module. But it is not a full fledged one that can carry people,” said M Y S Prasad, Director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
Though the launch is likely to happen between December 15 and 20, the brown-and-sand coloured module is being encapsulated in the heat shields on Sunday - after which it will only see light (or night?) when it is injected into space. Seeing as how the average astronaut requires at least 1.5 m3 (cubed) space to survive the crowded journey, a similar module could hold three of them, “There’s a lot of experimentation to go before that. At least two more years, after we get approval. So we will only know capacity then,” he added.
Not to take away from the space agency’s accomplishments, especially with the Mars Orbiter Mission, but a critical part of this mission depends on about 100 feet of nylon. “This is the largest parachute built in the country, with a diameter of 31 metres. There are three parachute systems that will deploy as the module hurtles down to earth and this will determine if it can withstand the velocity and land safely,” said S Somnath, Project Director of the GSLV MK III - the bigger and worse version of the rocket that will carry this module. The one that is as long as, well, a 100 feet road, actually has a twin chute that opens up as a backup.
Indian Navy Frogmen recovering the SRE-1 Capsule after splashdown in the Bay of Bengal.
Designed at the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment, Agra, the parachutes are made of high-density nylon and have been reinforced by kevlar at strategic points. “Imagine this module that is shot out at 5.3 km/s (or 19,080 kmph), which will take us to Sulurpet in less than a second,” laughed Somnath. “That has to be slowed down to a speed that doesn’t crash when it comes down towards the ocean. That is why we have designed three parachute systems - opening at altitudes of 15 km, 8 km and finally the big ones at 4 km.” More than the engines, the thrust and getting the orbit right, ISRO’s best and brightest have worked meticulously to ensure that the chutes open up right. “We had done a drop test from a height of 75 km over the ocean along with the Air Force and the Coast Guard,” he added.
If all goes well and the heat shield hold up to the 1600 degrees Celsius that will batter it on re-entry, then the module will gently splash down 600 km from the Andamans - and hopefully give ISRO a rocketload of data for when Indian men actually go where only Russian, Chinese and American men have gone before.
Source:- India’s Manned Mission Tied to its Biggest Parachute Yet -The New Indian Express