PrObLeMs with DGIII reentry and landing

[C3PO]

Pierre_le wrote:
here are my reentry flight datas. still iss-ksc trip, without touching anything between deorbit-burn and
manual control close to runway.

That's exacly my point. You have to set up the reentry perfectly, and hope you get close enough to reach the
runway. There is very little you can do to correct for any errors in the initial deorbit burn.

The thing that bugs me the most is that you have to change the inclination to "hit" the base. This seems to me to be
a terrible waste of fuel. (You might have guessed by now that I'm really into realism )
The Shuttles have two or three orbits available to deorbit every time the ground track passes close to the landing
site. But because of the DG's lack of lift, you have to hit the landing site spot on.

As I've stated earlier I know how to make the DG reenter close to the landing site, but.......
The reentry is probably the most 'interesting' phase of a space flight,(eapecialy now we have to keep an eye on the
hull temperatures) and it doesn't feel right to just sit and and wait untill it's time to align to the final approach.

I'm sorry to go on about this, but I like the Pro104 reentry program idea so much:top:, that I think you should be able
to use it to "fly" a realistic reentry procedure with it, instead of just waiting to slow down at 40 AoA.

C3PO

[Pierre_le]

This seems to me to be a terrible waste of fuel

i don't carry fuel any more during descent, thruster are not engaged. i use glide capabilities using a ~-25° descent
pitch in manual control. that explain the "constant" airspeed and bit slower descent rate at end of travel.
the little altitude drop near the end is a short timed -90° descent, cause i was a bit too long and dont wanted to miss
the runway it was not a perfect trajectory.



the pro104 is not mach dependant, so first you must decrement pitch manually while loosing speed & altitude. we
loose the "touchless" approach aspect. and the 5° increment is to great to stick to a realistic pitch diminution during
descent.
but yes you can choose the right instant to switch to 35° then 30° during descent, but then the deorbit burn point
must be reseted to a longer distance away from target. it make the reentry a bit longer to complete too
in my dream i see a delta glider that glide on its own, in inertia, and touch ground smoothly



Post Edited ( 08-07-04 20:39 )