Ballute

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Ballute-equipped Mark 82 bombs, Mk-82AIRs, being dropped by an American F-111 attack aircraft F-111F dropping high-drag bombs.jpg
Ballute-equipped Mark 82 bombs, Mk-82AIRs, being dropped by an American F-111 attack aircraft

The ballute (a portmanteau of balloon and parachute ) is a parachute-like braking device optimized for use at high altitudes and supersonic velocities.

Contents

The original ballute configuration was invented in 1958 [1] by the Goodyear company. The innovation soon caught the attention of other organisations, including NASA; the agency incorporated ballutes into the escape system of the Gemini spacecraft. It has subsequently seen extensive use within the aerospace sector as a means of retarding the descent of various payloads, such as sections of rockets and atmospheric probes. Various proposals involving ballutes, such as for deorbiting/recovering low-mass satellites and interplanetary research programmes, have been issued in recent decades.

Design

The ballute is an inflatable device used to generate drag. [2] In terms of its basic configuration, it is a cone-shaped balloon, featuring a toroidal burble fence (an inflated structure intended to ensure flow separation) that is fitted around its widest point. [3] The burble fence acts to stabilize the ballute as it decelerates through different flow regimes, typically descending from faster (even supersonic) flows into subsonic speeds. [3] [4] The design of the ballute, particularly its drop-like shaping, make it more suitable for decelerating at extreme speeds than a conventional parachute. [5]

Sketch of ballute components 20110430 BurbleFence 000.svg
Sketch of ballute components

Ballutes can be categorised into three primary configuration, these being cocoon ballutes that enclose their payloads, attached ballutes that attach directly to the base of their payloads, and towed ballutes that trail after their payloads. [2] The isotensoid ballute has been recognised as the standard configuration, although other arrangements have been tested. It has been proposed that ballutes could be arranged in both stacked toroidal and tension cone form factors. [6] Some ballute configurations are specialised to certain purposes or industries, such as the aerospace sector. [7] [8]

By attaching a ballute to an air-dropped object, such as a bomb or an aerospace payload, it should (provided it is of sufficient size and has correctly deployed) limit its rate of descent, potentially minimising damage to the payload on contact with the ground. [3] [9] They can generate a relatively high amount of drag for their mass, making them attractive in weight-constrained scenarios typical to aerospace applications. [2]

Inflation of a ballute is typically achieved either by a gas generator or by external air being forced into the structure by an arrangement of ram air inlets. [3] The design of the inflation mechanism is particularly critical to its successful application; if the inlets are too small or too few, the ballute shall not maintain its shape and collapse, while excessive inlet flow likely results in overpressure and raising the risk of bursting. [5] Accordingly, the ballute has to be precisely designed to conform with the environmental conditions it is to be exposed to; similarly, the deployment ought to be with similar care, such as in respect to timing. Improper deployment is likely to cause failure, as excessive deceleration forces risk snapping fixing points and tearing fabric; tangling is another potential risk. [5] [10]

Applications

The ballute was originally developed in response to the instability of early supersonic parachutes, proving to be an attractive alternative. [2]

The ballute has been used on freefall bombs dropped from an aircraft, helping to both retard and stabilise the descent. [2]

The ballute has been extensively used through the aerospace industry. [3] One of its earliest uses in the sector was as an element of the astronaut's launch escape equipment aboard NASA's Gemini spacecraft; [11] it was also being used to slow down the descent of the Arcas, an early American rocketsondes, by the mid-1960s. [12] During the 1960s, the agency performed detailed research into the ballute as an aerodynamic decelerator system on other planets, such as Mars. [3]

In the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact , a ballute is used on the Leonov spacecraft to shield it from the effects of heating during aerobraking, allowing the Leonov to slow itself without expending fuel and establish an orbit around Jupiter's moon Io. [13]

Recovery of a trailing ballute tested as a part of NASA's Low-density Supersonic Decelerator program 4-ldsd sfdt1 recovery-0218.jpg
Recovery of a trailing ballute tested as a part of NASA's Low-density Supersonic Decelerator program

In 2000, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was researching the ballute, emphasising its potential for use in both aerocapture and aerobraking operations. [2] [14] Around that same period, the European Space Agency was also evaluating the use of inflatable shielding as a means of facilitating the controlled reentry of spacecraft. [15]

Various proposed interplanetary atmospheric probes have incorporated ballutes; for envisioned missions to Venus, they shall act not only to control atmospheric entry but to provide buoyant support for the sensor payload as well. [2] [16] Landers on Mars may also use ballutes during direct atmospheric entry, while cocoon-style ballutes may also be adopted for orbital transfer vehicles in orbit around Earth. Particularly large ballutes may be used for planetary aerocapture purposes on various planetary bodies around the Solar System. [2] Furthermore, extended designs using inflatable tension cone ballute technology have been proposed for deorbiting NanoSats and recovering low-mass (< 1.5 kg or 3.3 lb) satellites from low Earth orbit. [6] [17]

In early 2012, Armadillo Aerospace used a ballute during the testing of its STIG-A rocket. [18] [19] In February 2015, the Danish nonprofit aerospace organisation Copenhagen Suborbitals were engaged in testing a ballute for its Nexø rockets. [20] In April 2018, Elon Musk tweeted that SpaceX would recover Falcon 9 second stages with the help of a "giant party balloon" [21] , after the company started landing the rocket's first stages routinely. However, the plan was called off. In August 2019, Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, announced that they would attempt to recover their Electron rocket's lower stage utilising a ballute for supersonic deceleration, enabling the stage to be captured in mid-air by a helicopter. [22]

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Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. In-space propulsion exclusively deals with propulsion systems used in the vacuum of space and should not be confused with space launch or atmospheric entry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atmospheric entry</span> Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space

Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: uncontrolled entry, such as the entry of astronomical objects, space debris, or bolides; and controlled entry of a spacecraft capable of being navigated or following a predetermined course. Technologies and procedures allowing the controlled atmospheric entry, descent, and landing of spacecraft are collectively termed as EDL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerobraking</span> Spaceflight maneuver

Aerobraking is a spaceflight maneuver that reduces the high point of an elliptical orbit (apoapsis) by flying the vehicle through the atmosphere at the low point of the orbit (periapsis). The resulting drag slows the spacecraft. Aerobraking is used when a spacecraft requires a low orbit after arriving at a body with an atmosphere, as it requires less fuel than using propulsion to slow down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sounding rocket</span> Rocket designed to take measurements during its flight

A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to launch instruments from 48 to 145 km above the surface of the Earth, the altitude generally between weather balloons and satellites; the maximum altitude for balloons is about 40 km and the minimum for satellites is approximately 121 km. Certain sounding rockets have an apogee between 1,000 and 1,500 km, such as the Black Brant X and XII, which is the maximum apogee of their class. Sounding rockets often use military surplus rocket motors. NASA routinely flies the Terrier Mk 70 boosted Improved Orion, lifting 270–450-kg (600–1,000-pound) payloads into the exoatmospheric region between 97 and 201 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reusable launch vehicle</span> Vehicles that can go to space and return

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbital spaceflight</span> Spaceflight where spacecraft orbits an astronomical body

An orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which a spacecraft is placed on a trajectory where it could remain in space for at least one orbit. To do this around the Earth, it must be on a free trajectory which has an altitude at perigee around 80 kilometers (50 mi); this is the boundary of space as defined by NASA, the US Air Force and the FAA. To remain in orbit at this altitude requires an orbital speed of ~7.8 km/s. Orbital speed is slower for higher orbits, but attaining them requires greater delta-v. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has established the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 km (62 mi) as a working definition for the boundary between aeronautics and astronautics. This is used because at an altitude of about 100 km (62 mi), as Theodore von Kármán calculated, a vehicle would have to travel faster than orbital velocity to derive sufficient aerodynamic lift from the atmosphere to support itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerocapture</span> Orbital transfer maneuver

Aerocapture is an orbital transfer maneuver in which a spacecraft uses aerodynamic drag force from a single pass through a planetary atmosphere to decelerate and achieve orbit insertion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar lander</span> Spacecraft intended to land on the surface of the Moon

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Orbit insertion is the spaceflight operation of adjusting a spacecraft’s momentum, in particular to allow for entry into a stable orbit around a planet, moon, or other celestial body. This maneuver involves either deceleration from a speed in excess of the respective body’s escape velocity, or acceleration to it from a lower speed.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">ARCAspace</span> Aerospace company headquartered in Romania

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroshell</span> Shell which protects a spacecraft during atmospheric reentry

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mars atmospheric entry</span> Entry into the atmosphere of Mars

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator</span>

The Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator or LDSD is a reentry vehicle designed to test techniques for atmospheric entry on Mars. The disc-shaped LDSD uses an inflatable structure called the Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD), which is essentially a donut-shaped balloon, to create atmospheric drag in order to decelerate the vehicle before deploying a large supersonic parachute. The goal of the $230 m project is to develop a reentry system capable of landing 2- to 3-ton payloads on Mars, as opposed to the 1-ton limit of the currently used systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Lab Electron</span> Two-stage small launch vehicle

Electron is a two-stage, partially recoverable orbital launch vehicle developed by Rocket Lab, an American aerospace company with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary. Electron was developed to service the commercial small satellite launch market. Its Rutherford engines are the first electric-pump-fed engine to power an orbital-class rocket. Electron is often flown with a kickstage or Rocket Lab's Photon spacecraft. Although the rocket was designed to be expendable, Rocket Lab has recovered the first stage twice and is working towards the capability of reusing the booster. The Flight 26 (F26) booster has featured the first helicopter catch recovery attempt.

References

  1. ↑ "Balloon (Balloon-Parachute)". Stratocat. Stratopedia. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hall, Jeffery L. (2 May 2000). "A Review of Ballute Technology for Planetary Aerocapture" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mayhue, Robert J.; Eckstrom, Clinton V. (May 1969). "Flight-test results from Supersonic deployment of an 18-foot-diameter (5.49 meter) ballute decelerator" (PDF). ntrs.nasa.gov.
  4. ↑ Mastromarino III, Anthony R.; Carnasciali, Maria-Isabel (2014). "Aerodynamic Study of a Ballute Using Computational Fluid Dynamics" (PDF). newhaven.edu.
  5. 1 2 3 von Bengtson, Kristian (30 January 2014). "A Bastard Named Ballute". wired.com.
  6. 1 2 "NanoSat Deorbit and Recovery System (DRS) to Enable New Missions". conference paper. Small Sat 2011. 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  7. ↑ Griebel, Hannes (2011). "Ballute Spacecraft Configuration options". Reaching High Altitudes on Mars with an Inflatable Hypersonic Drag Balloon (Ballute). Vieweg+Teubner. pp. 33–43. doi:10.1007/978-3-8348-9911-8_4. ISBN   978-3-8348-1425-8.
  8. ↑ Ian Clark and Erich Brandeau (29 June 2019). "Large Supersonic Ballutes: Testing and Applications" (PDF). Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  9. ↑ "The Cutting Edge of Supersonic Ballute Manufacturing". Copenhagen Suborbitals . Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Droptesting an Improved Ballute Design". Copenhagen Suborbitals . Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  11. ↑ "A Set of Breakthroughs". hq.nasa.gov. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  12. ↑ J.J. Graham, Jr. (December 1965). "Development of Ballute for Retardation of Arcas rocketsondes" (PDF). Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Movie: 2010. The Year We Make Contact (1984), Roy Scheider: Dr. Heywood Floyd". IMDb . Retrieved December 31, 2022. We don't have enough fuel to slow ourselves down, so we are about to use a technique called aerobraking. The theory is, we will enter the outer layer of Jupiter's atmosphere using what is called a "ballute" for a shield. The atmosphere will slow us down, and Jupiter's gravity will grab hold of us and slingshot us around behind the dark side.
  14. ↑ Christensen, Bill (21 April 2009). "Ballutes Studied For Hypersonic Space Vehicles". space.com.
  15. ↑ Marraffa, L.; Kassing, D.; Baglioni, P; Wilde, D.; Walther, S.; Pitchkhadze, K.; Finchenko, V. (August 2000). "Inflatable Re-Entry Technologies: Flight Demonstration and Future Prospect" (PDF). European Space Agency.
  16. ↑ Medlock, Kristin L. (Gates); Longuski, James M.; Lyons, Daniel T. (2005). "A Dual-use Ballute for entry and descent during planetary missions" (PDF). engineering.purdue.edu.
  17. ↑ "Attached inflatable ballute for spacecraft deceleration". IEE Xplore. February 2000.
  18. ↑ "Armadillo Launches a STIG-A Rocket - Captures Awesome Image of Ballute" . Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  19. ↑ "Reentry System—CubeSat Recovery System". Andrews Space. 2008. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "Warp speed, mr. Zulu!" (in Danish). Ingeniøren. 25 February 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  21. ↑ Elon Musk (16 April 2018). "SpaceX will try to bring rocket upper stage back from orbital velocity using a giant party balloon". Twitter.
  22. ↑ "Can Rocket Lab really catch a rocket with a helicopter?!". Everyday Astronaut. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
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