Can a Soyuz-MS still propel itself back to earth if all its Hydrogen Peroxide decomposed?
In this answer it is stated that:
If the fuel fully decomposes then return to Earth is still possible but only via ballistic descent
I find it a little bit surprising, but maybe there is enough Δv in the cold gas thrusters?
reentry engines soyuz-spacecraft
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
add a comment |
In this answer it is stated that:
If the fuel fully decomposes then return to Earth is still possible but only via ballistic descent
I find it a little bit surprising, but maybe there is enough Δv in the cold gas thrusters?
reentry engines soyuz-spacecraft
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
add a comment |
In this answer it is stated that:
If the fuel fully decomposes then return to Earth is still possible but only via ballistic descent
I find it a little bit surprising, but maybe there is enough Δv in the cold gas thrusters?
reentry engines soyuz-spacecraft
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
In this answer it is stated that:
If the fuel fully decomposes then return to Earth is still possible but only via ballistic descent
I find it a little bit surprising, but maybe there is enough Δv in the cold gas thrusters?
reentry engines soyuz-spacecraft
reentry engines soyuz-spacecraft
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
edited 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
1,066313
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
asked 2 days ago
Antzi
7,90512452
7,90512452
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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oldest
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Most thrusters on the Soyuz-MS spacecraft use Nitrogen Tetroxide1 (N2O4, oxidizer)
and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine2 (UDMH, fuel). These are stored (and burned) on the service module and both are fairly stable (from a storage-lifetime standpoint). For safety reasons it was decided that the descent module would use Hydrogen Peroxide3 (H2O2) monopropellent4 as its fuel. Most operations including orientation while on-orbit as well as the deorbit burn are carried out using the service module's engines (N2O4/UDMH); the only thing that the peroxide engines in the descent module are used for is controlling the module's attitude and thus its flight path in the atmosphere5.
1 Nasty stuff
2 Even worse
3 Not that nice either. However, the product of its combustion is water and oxygen which is also what it degrades to over time. This means that any leaks into the crewed descent module wouldn't be too bad.
4 The peroxide spontaneous combusts on contact with a catalyst (platinum for Soyuz-MS IIRC). This typically makes the thrusters more reliable since only the fuel valve needs to work for the thruster to function.
5 The descent module's trajectory can be changed by adjusting the heat shield's angle of attack against the atmosphere. Said adjustment is done with the peroxide thrusters. If the thrusters are not available then the angle of attack can't be controlled and the reëntry will be a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough).
More technical details can be found on this page and on Wikipedia. Also somewhat apropos is this video.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
Most thrusters on the Soyuz-MS spacecraft use Nitrogen Tetroxide1 (N2O4, oxidizer)
and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine2 (UDMH, fuel). These are stored (and burned) on the service module and both are fairly stable (from a storage-lifetime standpoint). For safety reasons it was decided that the descent module would use Hydrogen Peroxide3 (H2O2) monopropellent4 as its fuel. Most operations including orientation while on-orbit as well as the deorbit burn are carried out using the service module's engines (N2O4/UDMH); the only thing that the peroxide engines in the descent module are used for is controlling the module's attitude and thus its flight path in the atmosphere5.
1 Nasty stuff
2 Even worse
3 Not that nice either. However, the product of its combustion is water and oxygen which is also what it degrades to over time. This means that any leaks into the crewed descent module wouldn't be too bad.
4 The peroxide spontaneous combusts on contact with a catalyst (platinum for Soyuz-MS IIRC). This typically makes the thrusters more reliable since only the fuel valve needs to work for the thruster to function.
5 The descent module's trajectory can be changed by adjusting the heat shield's angle of attack against the atmosphere. Said adjustment is done with the peroxide thrusters. If the thrusters are not available then the angle of attack can't be controlled and the reëntry will be a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough).
More technical details can be found on this page and on Wikipedia. Also somewhat apropos is this video.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
Most thrusters on the Soyuz-MS spacecraft use Nitrogen Tetroxide1 (N2O4, oxidizer)
and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine2 (UDMH, fuel). These are stored (and burned) on the service module and both are fairly stable (from a storage-lifetime standpoint). For safety reasons it was decided that the descent module would use Hydrogen Peroxide3 (H2O2) monopropellent4 as its fuel. Most operations including orientation while on-orbit as well as the deorbit burn are carried out using the service module's engines (N2O4/UDMH); the only thing that the peroxide engines in the descent module are used for is controlling the module's attitude and thus its flight path in the atmosphere5.
1 Nasty stuff
2 Even worse
3 Not that nice either. However, the product of its combustion is water and oxygen which is also what it degrades to over time. This means that any leaks into the crewed descent module wouldn't be too bad.
4 The peroxide spontaneous combusts on contact with a catalyst (platinum for Soyuz-MS IIRC). This typically makes the thrusters more reliable since only the fuel valve needs to work for the thruster to function.
5 The descent module's trajectory can be changed by adjusting the heat shield's angle of attack against the atmosphere. Said adjustment is done with the peroxide thrusters. If the thrusters are not available then the angle of attack can't be controlled and the reëntry will be a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough).
More technical details can be found on this page and on Wikipedia. Also somewhat apropos is this video.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
Most thrusters on the Soyuz-MS spacecraft use Nitrogen Tetroxide1 (N2O4, oxidizer)
and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine2 (UDMH, fuel). These are stored (and burned) on the service module and both are fairly stable (from a storage-lifetime standpoint). For safety reasons it was decided that the descent module would use Hydrogen Peroxide3 (H2O2) monopropellent4 as its fuel. Most operations including orientation while on-orbit as well as the deorbit burn are carried out using the service module's engines (N2O4/UDMH); the only thing that the peroxide engines in the descent module are used for is controlling the module's attitude and thus its flight path in the atmosphere5.
1 Nasty stuff
2 Even worse
3 Not that nice either. However, the product of its combustion is water and oxygen which is also what it degrades to over time. This means that any leaks into the crewed descent module wouldn't be too bad.
4 The peroxide spontaneous combusts on contact with a catalyst (platinum for Soyuz-MS IIRC). This typically makes the thrusters more reliable since only the fuel valve needs to work for the thruster to function.
5 The descent module's trajectory can be changed by adjusting the heat shield's angle of attack against the atmosphere. Said adjustment is done with the peroxide thrusters. If the thrusters are not available then the angle of attack can't be controlled and the reëntry will be a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough).
More technical details can be found on this page and on Wikipedia. Also somewhat apropos is this video.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Most thrusters on the Soyuz-MS spacecraft use Nitrogen Tetroxide1 (N2O4, oxidizer)
and Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine2 (UDMH, fuel). These are stored (and burned) on the service module and both are fairly stable (from a storage-lifetime standpoint). For safety reasons it was decided that the descent module would use Hydrogen Peroxide3 (H2O2) monopropellent4 as its fuel. Most operations including orientation while on-orbit as well as the deorbit burn are carried out using the service module's engines (N2O4/UDMH); the only thing that the peroxide engines in the descent module are used for is controlling the module's attitude and thus its flight path in the atmosphere5.
1 Nasty stuff
2 Even worse
3 Not that nice either. However, the product of its combustion is water and oxygen which is also what it degrades to over time. This means that any leaks into the crewed descent module wouldn't be too bad.
4 The peroxide spontaneous combusts on contact with a catalyst (platinum for Soyuz-MS IIRC). This typically makes the thrusters more reliable since only the fuel valve needs to work for the thruster to function.
5 The descent module's trajectory can be changed by adjusting the heat shield's angle of attack against the atmosphere. Said adjustment is done with the peroxide thrusters. If the thrusters are not available then the angle of attack can't be controlled and the reëntry will be a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough).
More technical details can be found on this page and on Wikipedia. Also somewhat apropos is this video.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 2 days ago
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
answered 2 days ago
Alex Hajnal
1,066313
1,066313
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Alex Hajnal is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
1
1
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
@uhoh I think there's a good follow-up question there...
– Alex Hajnal
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
I see it, thanks! I'll return later, if it's still unanswered I'll see if I can post some of that there.
– uhoh
2 days ago
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
"a bit rough (up to 8.2G rough)" - :) sounds kind of like an understatement. :)
– The_Sympathizer
yesterday
1
1
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
@The_Sympathizer: Perfectly survivable, moderate injuries expected, that's a typical Russian safety feature design.
– SF.
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
But still not a happy time for the crew.
– Alex Hajnal
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
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