From: Rodneykelp605@hotmail.com   
      
   They could send up some solid fuel boosters that the shuttle could dock with   
   and use for braking. How how long would it take to brake from 18k mph to   
   about 200mph without exceeding 2 G's?   
      
   "Henry Spencer"  wrote in message   
   news:I2BKqG.1vu@spsystems.net...   
   > In article <4ofSc.425593$Gx4.392265@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,   
   > Lizerd <1@2.com.retro.com> wrote:   
   > >Early on in the space program, the space capsule used brute force   
   re-entry.   
   > >IE: it slammed into the upper atmosphere at high speed to slow down for   
   > >return.   
   >   
   > That is the only method anyone has ever used for reentry, from that day   
   > to this:  atmospheric braking.  The details have gotten fancier (in most   
   > cases), but the basic scheme of things has not.   
   >   
   > >The space shuttle is a lifting body.   
   > >Why can't it fly back???   
   >   
   > It does.  The Apollo and Gemini capsules were lifting bodies too, by the   
   > way (and so is Soyuz).  They all use aerodynamic lift to stretch their   
   > reentries out as much as they can.  But there are severe fundamental   
   > limits to what can be done.  Even pushing it as far as the shuttle orbiter   
   > does incurs serious penalties, notably a thermal protection system which   
   > is complicated and rather fragile compared to the simple and robust   
   > heatshields the capsules used.   
   >   
   > >If the shuttle hit the atmosphere slower, use aero braking and descend at   
   > >a shallower angle, the shuttle could return at a slower decent rate, and   
   not   
   > >be subjected to the high temptures.   
   >   
   > The longer, slower reentry the shuttle uses makes its thermal problems   
   > *worse*, not better.  The prolonged baking is actually rather harder to   
   > handle than a quick blowtorching.   
   >   
   > In any case, this isn't a question of the shuttle being deliberately   
   > operated in some stupid, suboptimal way.  It *already* uses aerodynamic   
   > lift as much as it can without melting something off.   
   > --   
   > "Think outside the box -- the box isn't our friend."    |   Henry Spencer   
   >                                 -- George Herbert       |   
   henry@spsystems.net   
      
      
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