Large Spaceplane Escape System Idea

[MedwedianPresident]

So; i've got another idea; it is an escape system for large spaceplanes. For this, the passenger section must be attached to the back of the cockpit if there is one. It should work during the upper-atmosphere part of the ascent and during reentry. It consists of the cockpit separating using a chunk of sepatrons (and maybe letting some control surfaces go with it for steering), and after decelerating deploying a drogue chute to kill horizontal velocity; after that, when it stops flying and starts falling, main chutes semi-deploy and then deploy to generate a soft landing.

[MedwedianPresident]

Why does no one rate this idea?

[DeMatt]

I think the general consensus is "it sounds cool, go ahead and build it".

[Red Iron Crown]

Why don't you consolidate your ideas into one thread? There's not really a need for you to have four threads going on the first page, is there?

[Silverchain]

Have a look over at the BSC Challenge thread on replacing the Aeris 4a - among the entries there are some interesting escape systems including detaching cockpits, some gliding and some using chutes, and one which has an emergency plane, it's cool.

[Claw]

Also, it was only three hours between your posts. Give it some time. Consolidation is a good idea also.

Escape systems are handy, but you do need to ensure you have some way of giving the escape piece a push after separation. If you just decouple, the escape pod can get caught up, especially if there are engines firing. So your sepratrons are a good idea.

Also think about escaping at low altitude. You might want to make sure the pod goes up away from the ground enough during a takeoff/landing crash.

[MedwedianPresident]

Yes; i will maybe include upsized sepatrons.

[Othuyeg]

If you want to make sure it decouples, place separatrons at the front end of the rear part pointing either up or down. This will ensure that once decoupled, the two parts will part ways even if they might be going the same direction. The separators will push a gap between the parts and air resistance will take care of the rest. Don't put separators facing just forwards and backwards, make them split the two parts.

Edit: this way you only need minimum amount of separators as the tiniest gap will be torn apart by the air resistance.

[MedwedianPresident]

Very nice design tip.

[Javster]

Idea: add a truss, with an SRB at an angle, to pull it out of a crash

[MKI]

Since I'm the sort of player that likes to over do my designs, with failsafes, and backups for any situations. Most of my SSTO's come with ejection systems, in case the plane is unstable, or unable to land. The biggest one I've done is very similar to your idea. It was an failed SSTO shuttle design that used sepretrons to eject, a decoupler and a chute. Fairly basic stuff, but I haven't gone much bigger, as I always contested:

The NASA space shuttle didn't have an ejection system, so why should mine lol. So from then on, let's just say I have a lot more reverts when testing shuttle designs lol.

A large space plane ejection system should probable be VERY similar to a rocket ejection system. You. Would throw in a perminante emergency ejection tower, like the ones on Apollo spacecraft.

[Wanner364]

Something like this I drew a while ago?

[xzxvrx]

So pretty much like the F-111... if nobody has mentioned this yet

[doik27]

Screw the escape system. The kerbals died 'valiantly'.

[Wanner364]

Screw the escape system. The kerbals died 'valiantly'.

You're nice! Lol