[FPSPACE] Shen Zhou launch escape system
Phillip Clark
molniya@dircon.co.uk
Sat, 18 Oct 2003 08:26:54 +0100
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A couple of months ago Neville Kidger let me have a copy of some Chinese =
animations of Shen Zhou missions and one of these clearly showed the =
"two-stage" launch escape system.
Of course, the animation was not "real time", so it was only possible to =
determine the order of events, not the actual timings. But one =
animation clearly showed the escape tower separating before the strap-on =
boosters but the shroud remaining around the spacecraft. The shroud =
finally separated at some point during the second stage burn, while the =
main engine was still firing.
>From this I deduced - and started to tell people - that the shroud would =
be used to permit a higher-altitude abort than we saw on Soyuz because =
of those rocket motors at the top of the cylindrical shroud. Anyone =
who had the draft copy of my third Shen Zhou paper (planned for JBIS) at =
least two weeks ago would have read this explanation in there.
Phillip Clark
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>A couple of months ago Neville Kidger =
let me have a=20
copy of some Chinese animations of Shen Zhou missions and one of these =
clearly=20
showed the "two-stage" launch escape system.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Of course, the animation was not "real =
time", so it=20
was only possible to determine the order of events, not the actual=20
timings. But one animation clearly showed the escape tower=20
separating before the strap-on boosters but the shroud remaining around =
the=20
spacecraft. The shroud finally separated at some point =
during the=20
second stage burn, while the main engine was still firing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>From this I deduced - and started to =
tell people -=20
that the shroud would be used to permit a higher-altitude abort than we =
saw on=20
Soyuz because of those rocket motors at the top of the cylindrical=20
shroud. Anyone who had the draft copy of my third Shen Zhou =
paper=20
(planned for JBIS) at least two weeks ago would have read this =
explanation in=20
there.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Phillip Clark</FONT></DIV>
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