Rotatable Handle for Airborne Vehicle Deck Angle Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerodynamic deceleration systems for reentering spacecraft lack the ability to adjust the angular presentation of the spacecraft during descent and landing, making them unsuitable for varying landing conditions such as water versus hard surface landings.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable handle system attached to the spacecraft allows for the reorientation of the parachute attachment point, enabling adjustable deck angles by rotating about hinges and limited by dampers, facilitating both water and land landings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed point attachment system is used for parachute risers, then the structure is simple and reliable, but the spacecraft orientation cannot be adjusted for different landing conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is made rotatable relative to the command module through hinges, transforming the fixed attachment system into a dynamic one. This allows the spacecraft orientation to be adjusted by rotating the handle to different angular positions, enabling adaptation to various landing conditions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The attachment system is divided into separable components: the handle, the command module, the hinges, and the parachute risers. This segmentation allows the handle to be independently rotated and positioned, providing orientation adjustment capability while keeping each component simple and manageable
2Adaptability or versatility
If the handle is made rotatable to adjust deck angle, then adaptability to different landing surfaces is improved, but the risk of accidental rotation and deployment issues increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is pre-configured with specific angular positions (0 degrees for water landing, 90 degrees for hard surface landing) that are determined before deployment. The hinges and damping mechanisms are pre-set to control the rotation, ensuring that the handle reaches the correct orientation reliably when rotated, thus maintaining deployment reliability while providing adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
Damping mechanisms are introduced as intermediaries between the handle rotation and the final deployment position. These dampers control the rotation speed and prevent oscillations, ensuring that the handle settles accurately at the desired angular position without accidental movement, thereby maintaining reliability while enabling adaptability
3Ease of manufacture
If parachute riser routing is simplified, then the system is easier to manufacture and maintain, but flexibility in handle positioning is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The handle design incorporates universal attachment features that work with parachute risers regardless of the handle's angular position. The attachment plate and riser connection points are designed to maintain proper alignment and tension through the rotation range, allowing simple riser routing while supporting full positioning flexibility
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables flexible and controlled reorientation of the spacecraft during descent, accommodating different landing surfaces by altering the deck angle, simplifying parachute riser management and ensuring safe and stable landings.
Implementation Method 1
a handle rotatably attached to the CM. The handle has an unrotated position and a rotated position and a suspended deck angle of the CM is altered between the unrotated and rotated position
Implementation Method 2
rotation of the handle may be limited by a damper to prevent over rotating
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for reorientation of an airborne vehicle (10) during decent employs a handle (22) rotatably attached to the airborne vehicle (10) and connected to a parachute. Once the parachute is deployed, rotation of the handle reorients a deck angle of the airborne vehicle (10) with respect to the parachute.