From: junkmail@wolfkeeper.plus.com   
      
   Gordon D. Pusch wrote:   
   > However, none of these phase-change thermal storage materials   
   > have anywhere near the specific heat capacity that you can get by simply   
   > boiling water and venting it. And you really =DON'T= want to be _storing_   
   > all that heat in the spacecraft, where it will simply cause problems later;   
   > you want to be dumping that heat overboard !!!   
      
   Actually, I did once sketch out a design which did keep it on board all   
   the way through the reentry interface. The point is that you don't   
   really want to have landing fuel *and* reentry coolant. It's actually   
   easier if your landing fuel IS your reentry coolant.   
      
   When you want to land you just open a valve through some nozzles and   
   phoooomf you land in a big cloud of steam and get to live today. Yhe   
   landing is 'sporty'; but atleast you don't have to light the engine, and   
   you'd know well before hand whether enough pressure is in the system for   
   you to survive- if not, a parachute is recommended as backup.   
      
   A slightly less scary approach would be to use a Roton style rotor, and   
   vent the steam through that.   
      
   > -- Gordon D. Pusch   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)