X-38 needs a reserve.

Just watched the X-38 prototype escape vehicle for the space station do a test drop. It did not look like a pleasant flight. The vehicle spun under the drogue, then when the drogue released when through some severe looking pitches before the main deployed. It looked like it was in line twists all the way to the ground, the tail preventing it from untwisting once the main canopy was up to speed. It landed with the nose pointed left about 20 or 30 degrees, but stayed upright.

And from my understanding...the canopy does not have a slider and it uses charges to help open/unfurl the cells.

So the X-38 survives the landing, but would the occupants survive the openings?

'Matthew Skinner' <NCCS_223 at hotmail dot com> wrote in message

Could be doing the math wrong....7,500 sq ft canopy - 9 ton X-38=2.9~3.0 wingloading.

Wonder if they can hook/swoop it?

I'm sure someone will let me know if I did that calculation wrong.

9000kg * 2.20462lb/kg = 19841.58lbs 19841.58lbs/7500sq.ft = 2.646 lbs/sq.ft

Now, what I want to know is how much that canopy weighs. We include it in our calculations, so they have to include it in theirs, right? It will have to weight ~2700lbs to get a wingloading of ~3.0

Talk to Reggie. I'm sure he'll be able to set up some windblades for them :o)

Espen ALF#1