A space capsule is an often manned spacecraft which has a simple shape for the main section, without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric reentry. Capsules have been used in most of the manned space programs to date, including the Mercury and Gemini programs, as well as in Apollo and Soyuz. A capsule is the specified form for the Crew Exploration Vehicle. A spacecraft is designed to leave Earths atmosphere and operate beyond the surface of the Earth in outer space. ... Atmospheric reentry is the process by which vehicles that are outside the atmosphere of a planet can enter that atmosphere and reach the planetary surface intact. ... Project Mercury was the United States first successful manned spaceflight program. ... Project Gemini insignia Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program in which the United States of America sent humans into space, between Projects Mercury and Apollo, during the years 1963-1966. ... Apollo CSM in lunar orbit. ... The Soyuz human spaceflight programme was initiated in the early 1960s as part of the manned lunar programme that was intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. ... CEV with lunar lander CEV during a landing on earth CEV rocket, the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) (right) along side the heavy-lift Cargo Launch Vehicle (CaLV) rocket. ...

The Vostok Space Capsule (diagram)

Manned space capsules must have everything necessary for every day life, including air, water and food. The space capsules must also protect the astronauts from the cold and radiation of space. For this the capsules are well insulated and have a system that controls the inside temperature and environment. They also must have a way that the astronauts won't be knocked around during launch or reentry. Additionally, since the inside will be weightless, there must be a way for the astronauts to stay in their seats and beds during the flight. For this each seat, bed, table and chair has a complicated system of straps and buckles. One of the most important things that a space capsule must have is a way to communicate with people back on Earth, or mission control. Image File history File links Vostok spacecraft diagram I created this diagram in Paint Shop Pro File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Vostok spacecraft diagram I created this diagram in Paint Shop Pro File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... AIR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: The Annals of Improbable Research, a monthly magazine devoted to scientific humour All India Radio - Indias Government Radio service AIR, a popular electronica band from France. ... Radiation in Physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles. ... Template:Redirect Template:Redirect U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit (MMU) outside the Challenger in 1984. ... Astronauts on the International Space Station display an example of weightlessness. ...

Structure

The Mercury Space Capsule

Space capsules have typically been smaller than 5 meters in diameter, although there is no engineering limit to larger sizes. As the capsule is both volumetrically efficient and structurally strong, it is typically possible to construct small capsules of performance comparable in all but lift-to-drag ratio to a lifting body or delta wing form for less cost. This has been especially pronounced in the case of the Soyuz manned spacecraft. Most space capsules have used an ablative heat shield for reentry and been non-reusable. The Crew Exploration Vehicle appear likely, as of December 2005, to be a ten-times reusable capsule with a replaceable ablative shield. There is no limit, save for lack of engineering experience, on using high-temperature ceramic tiles or ultra-high tempeature ceramic sheets on space capsules. Image File history File links Mercury_Capsule2. ... Image File history File links Mercury_Capsule2. ... The lifting body is an aircraft configuration where the body itself produces lift. ... The delta-wing is a wing planform in the form of a triangle. ... Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft approaching the International Space Station Soyuz (Soyus, Союз, union) is a series of spacecraft designed by Sergey Korolyov for the Soviet Unions space program. ... In aeronautics, a heat shield is a protective layer on a spacecraft or ballistic missile that is designed to protect it from high temperatures, usually those that result from aerobraking during entry into a planets atmosphere. ... Fixed Partial Denture, or Bridge The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικος (keramikos, potters earth, or pottery). The term covers inorganic non-metallic materials whose formation is due to the action of heat. ...

Mercury capsule internal diagram

Materials for the space capsule are designed in different ways, like the Apollo’s honey-combed structure of aluminum. Aluminum is very light, and the structure gives the space capsule extra strength. The early space craft had a coating of glass imbedded with synthetic resin and put in very high temperatures. Carbon fiber, reinforced plastics and ceramic are new materials that are constantly being made better for use in space exploration. Download high resolution version (858x664, 75 KB)Cutaway of Mercury Spacecraft Mercury Spacecraft cutaway diagram. ... Download high resolution version (858x664, 75 KB)Cutaway of Mercury Spacecraft Mercury Spacecraft cutaway diagram. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Ancient Greek , Apóllōn; or Ἀπέλλων, Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros, was the archer-god of medicine and healing and also a bringer of death-dealing plague; as... Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... Carbon fiber composite is a strong, light and very expensive material. ...

Reentry

Space capsules are well-suited to high-temperature and dynamic loading reentries. Whereas delta-wing gliders such as the Space Shuttle can reenter from Low Earth Orbit and lifting bodies are capable of entry from as far away as the Moon, it is rare to find designs from reentry vehicles from Mars that are not capsules. The current RKK Energia design for the Kliper, being capable of flights to Mars, is an exception. This article is about the NASA Space Shuttle vehicle. ... A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit in which objects such as satellites are below intermediate circular orbit (ICO) and far below geostationary orbit, but typically around 350 - 1400 km above the Earths surface. ... Bulk composition of the Moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Russian media coverage of Kliper spacecraft - Russias Channel One TV network. ...

Engineers building a space capsule must take forces such as gravity and drag into consideration. The space capsule must be strong enough to slow down quickly, will endure extremely high or low temperatures, and can survive the landing. When the space capsule comes close to a planet’s or moon’s surface, it has to slow down at a very exact rate. If it slows down too quickly, every thing in the capsule will be crushed. If it doesn’t slow down quickly enough, it will crash into the surface and everything will be destroyed. The engineers tend to make the capsule in a rounded shape instead of a pointed one, as this has more resistance, and makes the capsule slow down. The down side of this is that it also creates more heat. Parachutes are also sometimes used to slow the capsule down by making more drag. Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ...

Voskhod capsule diagram

The space capsules also have to be able to withstand the impact when they reach the Earth’s surface. The early capsules would crash land on water. Those space capsules were not self powered, and the astronauts could not steer the capsule themselves, so the capsule would just free fall through the atmosphere. Modern capsules are more like a plane. When they enter the atmosphere, a computer guides it through a bunch of maneuvers which would slow it down. As the space capsule approaches the runway, the capsule commander and pilot fly the capsule down for the landing. Image File history File links Voskhod_spacecraft_diagram. ... Image File history File links Voskhod_spacecraft_diagram. ... Saturns atmosphere is made up of hydorgen, helium and methane ...

Gravity and drag

The Gemini Space Capsule

Two of the most common forces that a space capsule with its delicate instrument and humans experiences are gravity and drag. When the capsule attached to the rocket leaves Earth, there is a very strong pull from Earth. When the capsule passes other planets or moons, there is again a strong gravitational pull. Gemini 6 and 7 rendezvous in orbit (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Gemini 6 and 7 rendezvous in orbit (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... An object falling through a gas or liquid experiences a force in direction opposite to its motion. ...

Drag is the space capsule’s resistance to it being pushed though air. Air is a mixture of different molecules, including nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Anything falling through air hits these molecules and therefore slows down. The amount of drag on a capsule depends on many things, including the density of the air, and the shape, size and roughness of the capsule. The speed of a space craft highly depends on the combined effect of the two forces — gravity, which can speed up a rocket, or drag, which will slow down the rocket. Space capsules entering Earth’s atmosphere will be considerably slowed because our atmosphere is so thick. AIR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: The Annals of Improbable Research, a monthly magazine devoted to scientific humour All India Radio - Indias Government Radio service AIR, a popular electronica band from France. ... In science, a molecule is the smallest particle of a pure chemical substance that still retains its chemical composition and properties. ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per volume. ...

Gemini capsule internal diagram

When the space capsule comes through the atmosphere, it hits all those particles, making friction, which creates heat. A good example for this is a shooting star. A shooting star, which is usually tiny, creates so much heat coming through the atmosphere that the air around the meteorite glows white hot. So much more so, when a huge object like a space capsule comes through, even more heat is created. line drawing of gemini spacecraft http://www. ... line drawing of gemini spacecraft http://www. ... It has been suggested that Coefficient of friction be merged into this article or section. ... Photo of a burst of meteors with extended exposure time A meteor is the visible path of a meteoroid that enters the Earths (or another bodys) atmosphere, commonly called a shooting star or falling star. ...

The Soyuz Space Capsule

As the space capsule slows down, the friction from air molecules hitting the capsules surface creates a lot of heat. All the equipment that engineers use slow down the capsule, but also create a lot of heat. The surface of a capsule can get to 1480 °C (2700 F) as it goes down through the Earth’s atmosphere. All this heat has to be directed away. Early space capsules were coated with a material that melted then vaporized. It may seem counterproductive, but the vaporization takes heat away from the capsule. Modern space capsules are protected by silica tiles, as silica is a very strong insulator. The tiles are designed to be very light and be very low heat conductors. This keeps the reentry heat from getting inside the capsule. Download high resolution version (3032x2008, 2737 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (3032x2008, 2737 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is the oxide of silicon, chemical formula SiO2. ... Insulation must not be confused with insolation (the latter word has an o where the former has a u). Insulation is any material used to reduce or “slow down” or “resist” the flow of energy. ...

Landing on other planets

Landing on other planets and moons is very different from reentry on Earth. One, currently, there are still no run ways, and two, there are no bodies of water to crash into. Most space capsules use parachutes to slow the drop, reduce the acceleration, and make a smaller landing. Some capsules, such as the Russian Soyuz space craft, use both parachutes and jets that fire right before landing to reduce the force of the hit. Three of the robotic space crafts to Mars used a combination of parachutes and air bags. The air bags would cushion the fall, but also make the craft bounce around too much to make it practical for a manned landing. The eight planets and three dwarf planets of our Solar System, alongside the Sun. ... Moons of the Solar System scaled to Earths Moon A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet or other body larger than itself and which is not man-made. ... Parachutes is the debut album by English rock band Coldplay, released on July 10, 2000. ... Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity, and at any point on a v-t graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to that point In physics or physical science, acceleration (symbol: a) is defined as the rate of change (or derivative with respect to... Soyuz is Russian for Union. Depending on the context, Soyuz may also refer to either of the following: The originally Soviet (now Russian) Soyuz program of human spaceflight The Soyuz spacecraft, used in that program The Soyuz launch vehicle that is used to launch those and other spacecraft This is...

The Apollo Space Capsule

Landing on the moon is harder for slowing space capsules. The moon has almost no atmosphere, so there are no molecules for the space capsule to pass through. This can be good and bad. The good thing is that there will be no friction, and consequently, no heat. The bad part is that it is very hard to slow down. Parachutes are of no use as there are no molecules for the parachute to pass through. Capsules that land on the moon have high powered rocket engines that are fired by the pilot to create lift. Lift is the thrust in the opposite direction of descent. This lift slows down the space capsule enough to make a soft landing on the moon. Apollo 17 CSM in lunar orbit (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Apollo 17 CSM in lunar orbit (NASA) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Bulk composition of the Moons mantle and crust estimated, weight percent Oxygen 42. ... Lift consists of the sum of all the fluid dynamic forces on a body perpendicular to the direction of the external flow approaching that body. ...

History

Apollo capsule interior diagram

Early space capsules were based on the designs of the late Maxime Faget and many Russian engineers working under Sergei Korolev. Download high resolution version (520x723, 86 KB)Apollo command module interior. ... Download high resolution version (520x723, 86 KB)Apollo command module interior. ... Max Faget Maxime Max A. Faget (August 26, 1921 – October 9, 2004) was an American engineer. ... Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (Серге́й Па́влович Королёв) (December 30, 1906– January 14, 1966) was the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the space race, known only as the chief designer during his lifetime. ...

Before humans went into space, test flights were made with monkeys, dogs and mice. These were to see what effects a flight in a space capsule would have on a living organism. In 1957, Russia sent the first dog into space. This was followed by other animal missions, until Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made a successful orbit of Earth in 108 minutes on April 12 1961. The first American to orbit Earth was Astronaut John Glenn in the Mercury capsule. Later, the Gemini capsule took astronauts into space for longer periods of time. The Apollo capsule took astronauts to the moon, and the Lunar Module took them to the surface. The Russian Soyuz has taken many cosmonauts into orbit. The Space Shuttle takes astronauts and materiels between Earth and the International Space Station. Unlike preceding space capsules, the Space Shuttle is designed for many flights. For other uses, see Monkey (disambiguation). ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog is a mammal in the order Carnivora. ... Feral mouse A mouse (Plural mice) is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents. ... Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: Юрий Алексеевич Гагарин; March 9, 1934 – March 27, 1968), was a Soviet cosmonaut who in 1961 became the first human to survive space flight and the first human to orbit the Earth. ... Description Role: Orbital spaceflight Crew: one, pilot Dimensions Height: 11. ... Project Gemini insignia Project Gemini was the second human spaceflight program in which the United States of America sent humans into space, between Projects Mercury and Apollo, during the years 1963-1966. ... This article is about the NASA Space Shuttle vehicle. ... International Space Station insignia ISS Statistics Crew: 3 As of July 21, 2006 Perigee: 352. ...

The Shenzhou Space Capsule

Not all space capsule missions have been successful. Many people have lost their lives in space explorations. One early Soyuz capsule depressurized upon reentry and three cosmonauts died. Two Space Shuttles, the Challenger and the Columbia were both destroyed along with their crews due to malfunctions. The Challenger blew up right after lift off when seal broke causing the capsule to explode 73 seconds after lift-off. The Columbia was destroyed on February 1, 2003, during reentry when foam fell and struck the panels under the wings during launch. Image File history File links Shenzhou_front_white_shadow. ... Image File history File links Shenzhou_front_white_shadow. ... Space Shuttle Challenger (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-099) was NASAs second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, after Columbia. ...

Medical issues

Weightlessness

The Shenzhou 5 Space Capsule reentry module

When in space for a long duration there are many medical issues that are run into. One of these things is loss of bone mass. Six months of being weightless in a capsule would greatly reduce the bone mass of the occupants. The bone mass loss would be so great, that if the capsule was traveling to Mars, the space travellers would collapse like a bag of bones upon arrival. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (957x1000, 251 KB) Description: Shenzhou 5 reentry module Source: http://zh. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (957x1000, 251 KB) Description: Shenzhou 5 reentry module Source: http://zh. ... Grays illustration of a human femur, a typically recognized bone. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ...

In a weightless environment, astronauts put almost no weight on the back muscles or leg muscles used for standing up. Those muscles then start to weaken and eventually get smaller. If there is an emergency at landing, the loss of muscles, and consequently the loss of strength can be a serious problem. Sometimes, astronauts can lose up to 25% of their muscle mass on long term flights. When they get back to ground, they will be considerably weakened and will be out of action for a while. A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle (from Latin musculus little mouse, referring to muscles like the biceps which pop up as though a mouse were scurrying about under the skin [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ...

Astronauts experiencing weightlessness will often lose their orientation, get motion sickness, and lose their sense of direction as their bodies try to get used to a weightless environment. When they get back to Earth, or any other mass with gravity, they have to readjust to the gravity and may have problems standing up, focusing their gaze, walking and turning. Importantly, those body motor disturbances after changing from different gravities only get worse the longer the exposure to little gravity. These changes will effect operational activities including approach and landing, docking, remote manipulation, and emergencies that happen by landing. This is a big problem for mission success. Motion sickness is a condition in which the endolymph (the fluid found in the semicircular canals of the inner ears) becomes stirred up, causing confusion between the difference between apparent perceived movement (none or very little), and actual movement. ...

Weakened immune system

Another thing is that extended space flight might slow down the body’s ability to protect itself against diseases. Some of the problems are a weakened immune system and the activation of dormant viruses in the body. Radiation can cause both short and long term consequences to the blood marrow stem cells which create the blood and immune systems. Because a space capsule is so small, a weakened immune system and more active viruses in the body can lead to a fast spread of infection. The immune system is composed of a complex constellation of cells, organs and tissues, arranged in an elaborate and dynamic communications network and equipped to optimize the response against invasion by pathogenic organisms. ... Groups I: dsDNA viruses II: ssDNA viruses III: dsRNA viruses IV: (+)ssRNA viruses V: (-)ssRNA viruses VI: ssRNA-RT viruses VII: dsDNA-RT viruses A virus (Latin, poison) is a microscopic particle that can infect the cells of a biological organism. ... Radiation in Physics is the process of emitting energy in the form of waves or particles. ...

Isolation

When on long missions, astronauts will have to go through the isolation and confinement of a space environment. People isolated for a long time can go into all sorts of kinds of depression that can ruin the mission’s success. Not only do astronauts have to be almost totally isolated from the rest of the world, but they have virtually nowhere to move around. That can also cause some depression. Solitude can have various meanings Castle_Solitude and race track memorial site, Stuttgart, Germany 100 Years of Solitude The Fortress of Solitude Solitude Aeturnus Solitude (also seclusion, isolation) means lack of contact with other people. ... Depression, or a depressed mood, may in everyday English refer to a state of melancholia, unhappiness or sadness, or to a relatively minor downturn in mood that may last only a few hours or days. ...

When on long missions, astronauts will not be able to quickly return to Earth if a medical emergency occurs. For example, a scientist working in the south pole found a lump in her breast and had to wait a two months before a helicopter could come in. In space, even that is not an option. When a medical emergency happens, the astronauts have to rely on the crew and the computers to solve the problem.

Patents

1. U.S. Patent 3093346 -- Space capsule -- M. A. Faget, et. al. (NASA)