Questions tagged [landing-gear]
equipment used to bring a spacecraft safely to a stop on the surface of a body (which isn't another spacecraft).
17
questions
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
At what point did the Apollo 11's Eagle extend the landing gear?
I am trying to figure out, during Apollo missions, exactly when the lunar-module extended the landing gear. Was it closer to the time the CM and LM connected in the space rendezvous or did they ...
- 61
48
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Why were the Space Shuttle Orbiter's landing gear not level?
Looking at an image of the orbiter on the ground, it's obvious the nose landing gear is positioned higher than the other landing gear in the wings, making the nose of the orbiter droop down. As far as ...
- 583
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does the SpaceX Starship plan to have landing legs?
Does the SpaceX Starship plan to have landing legs?
And if so, how many and where will they be located on the body of the rocket?
- 1,636
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why did NASA intentionally crash-land the Curiosity and Perseverance sky cranes on Mars?
The sky cranes for both the Curiosity and Perseverance landing systems were both intentionally crashed into Mars. According to this answer regarding intentional crash-landing of spacecraft in general, ...
- 151
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
New Shepard air brakes
I watched the NS-13 New Shepard launch and descent video.
The rocket descends and it reaches a maximum velocity of 2,602 km/h
Then it uses air brakes to reduce the velocity to 370 km/h and then it ...
- 2,650
2
votes
1
answer
610
views
Why does the LM footpad "flutter" when undocking from the Command Module?
In footage of the LM undocking from the Command Module, the footpad looks like it was "fluttering":
At first, I thought it was from the RCS thrusters but then I ...
- 5,928
4
votes
2
answers
374
views
Were the landing gear doors closed during the Approach and Landing Tests?
This photo from an answer on the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests shows the front attachment between the Enterprise orbiter and the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. The support strut reaches the ...
- 48.1k
19
votes
5
answers
8k
views
Why doesn't Starship have four landing legs?
A counterpart to the question Why doesn't the Falcon-9 first stage use three legs to land?
This excellent answer states that the first stage of the Falcon-9 uses four legs because four legs are ...
- 5,928
56
votes
5
answers
14k
views
Why doesn't the Falcon-9 first stage use three legs to land?
The immediate thought that would probably come into your mind would be "Because 4 legs is more stable than 3." However that is not always true. 3 legs offer the same or in some cases more stability as ...
- 5,928
70
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Why did the Apollo 13 crew extend the LM landing gear?
From the Apollo 13 radio transcript, as they're going through the Lunar Module activation checklist:
060:58:58 Lousma: Okay. The only item on page 10 is to deploy the landing gear.
060:59:06 ...
- 15.4k
24
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What was NASA's Tire Assault Vehicle?
Why did NASA build a vehicle specifically designed to attack aircraft tires?
- 184k
6
votes
2
answers
736
views
Do Falcon 9/Heavy Block 5 boosters need landing legs? Or can they land back on their launch mounts?
At 2017's International Astronautical Congress, Elon Musk claimed that SpaceX could master propulsive landing without landing legs.
The assertion was that Falcon 9's ...
- 5,505
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why use skids for landing gear on an orbiter?
Why does the Dream Chaser use a skid as the nose landing gear?
Wouldn't this increase the risk of accidents or damage to the runway when landing on a paved runway?
- 314
23
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Why did the Apollo Lunar Module have four landing legs?
Why did the Apollo Lunar Module have four landing legs? Is not just three legs enough? Also, three legs guaranties they always form a plane, four does not, as the fourth leg may dangle. To have the ...
16
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Why is it even desirable for a spacecraft to land without a parachute?
In this SpaceX promotional video, they indicate their plans to land a crewed capsule without a parachute, using landing thrusters. I know that Soyuz does this too, though in combination with a landing ...
- 2,267