From: henry@spsystems.net   
      
   In article <40722359.F2622820@yahoo.com>,   
   Abrigon Gusiq   wrote:   
   >> ...A long, slow, high-L/D reentry has   
   >> major disadvantages as well as advantages.   
   >   
   >So no way to have a massive amount of area, and use the resulting area   
   >to act as a parachute on the atmosphere? Asbestos parachute or ..   
      
   You *can* do that, but it's a different concept entirely.  With a very low   
   mass per unit area -- via parachute, inverted-umbrella, whatever -- the   
   reentry environment changes in a rather different way.  Reentry doesn't   
   get longer or slower; the duration, and the G-loads, are determined almost   
   entirely by L/D, which is a function of shape only.  However, *heat* loads   
   do go down dramatically, because the deceleration happens earlier, in   
   thinner air (or alternatively -- you can think of it either way -- because   
   the same amount of heat is spread over a larger surface area).  Both the   
   total heat load and the maximum heating rate are greatly reduced... unlike   
   wings, which reduce maximum heating rate at the expense of *increasing*   
   total heat load.  It's a promising, but neglected, concept.   
   --   
   MOST launched 30 June; science observations running     |   Henry Spencer   
   since Oct; first surprises seen; papers pending.        | henry@spsystems.net   
      
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