Table of Contents
How hot did it get in Apollo 13 on reentry?
5000 degrees, same as an acetylene torch. Which was plenty hot enough to melt aluminum, but if you want to believe the impossible, go for it.
How do space capsules float?
Capsules like Apollo and Orion are mainly open space internally (the crew cabin); they have no problem floating by themselves (like a metal-hulled boat would). The conical capsule shape by itself will float in either of two orientations: stable 1 (base down, nose up) and stable 2 (nose down).
How hot does a space capsule get on reentry?
When the reentry capsule comes through the atmosphere the capsule compresses the air in front of it, which heats up to very high temperatures. The surface temperature of a capsule can reach 1,480 °C (2,700 °F) as it descends through the Earth’s atmosphere.
How does the space capsule work?
A space capsule is an often-crewed spacecraft that uses a blunt-body reentry capsule to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere without wings. Capsules are distinguished from satellites primarily by the ability to survive reentry and return a payload to the Earth’s surface from orbit.
Why is space reentry so hot?
During re-entry, the shuttle is going so fast, it compresses the air ahead of it. The compression of the air layers near the leading edges of the shuttle is quick, causing the temperature of the air to rise to as high as 3000 degrees Fahrenheit!
Why do space capsules have inflatable floats at the top end?
In stable 2, the crew is hanging upside down in their seats and the hatches are underwater, obviously not a desirable condition, so the inflatable floats at the top end are to right the capsule if it lands nose-down or turns over in rough seas.
What happened to the ice inside the Apollo 13 capsule?
“We all know that the exterior of the Apollo capsule was subjected to intense heat during reentry,” Davis writes. “In the movie Apollo 13, we know many of the instruments were frozen due to the [electrical] shutdown, and the ice melted during reentry.
How is the cabin temperature of a space ship controlled?
“The spacecraft cabin temperature on a normal mission is controlled by using heat produced by electrical systems, with the excess heat dissipating by radiation into space. With the electrical systems turned off, the temperature approached about 34 degrees Fahrenheit prior to entering the atmosphere.
What is the purpose of the rings on a space capsule?
The larger ring float around the base both helps keep the capsule stable and insures against the capsule sinking due to water getting inside an open hatch after the crew gets out.