You have never wondered what happens to astronauts when their descent vehicle falls into water? NASA space agency engineers are constantly working to make such landings more comfortable and safe. And in order to carry out their plans, they have to carry out numerous tests and crash tests using well-known dummies. A photo report about one of these tests was recently published on the official NASA page in the Flickr service.
According to NASA experts, the collision of the descent vehicle with water has a very strong effect on the human body, despite the parachute and a significant decrease in the rate of fall. That is why it is very important to consider all the variables and calculate the force of impact of the capsule on the water surface. To do this, you just need to put test dummies in astronaut costumes and drop them inside the Orion vehicle into the reservoir of the NASA Research Center in Langley.
“Based on this test, we will not only find out how the whole structure behaves during a collision with the water surface, but also calculate how much impact will be reflected in the crew seats and astronaut bodies,” explains Lockheed Martin employee Mark Baldwin.
A whole crowd of researchers at the research center has gathered to see this fall. The bodies of the dummies are covered with special damage sensors, which read many indicators during the fall. Thanks to the data obtained, scientists and engineers will later be able to calculate and, if possible, minimize the risks of injury to astronauts during the landing. So far, four drops into the tank from a crane have been made. In the near future, the team plans to implement the fall of the vehicle, previously swung in the air, to take into account its entry into the water at unusual angles.
The article is based on materials .
Comments
Post a Comment