Ever wonder how space agencies test to see how their rockets and satellites burn up in the atmosphere? If so, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) plasma wind tunnel may be of interest. To see exactly how the speed and heat of atmospheric reentry affects space satellites, they recreate the conditions using gas heated by an electric arc to temperatures of over 12,000° Fahrenheit (6,700*deg; Celsius).
This particular test consisted of a virtual representation of a satellite to test different melting points, or more specifically, its solar array drive mechanism (SADM), which is the part that directs its solar panels. This was placed in the chamber and as you can see, it disintegrated in seconds.
- Bring to life the rocket launch that took humans to the moon with the meter-high (approximately 1: 110 scale) model rocket of the NASA Apollo Saturn V
- The Saturn V rocket kit includes 3 removable rocket stages (first, s-ii second, and s-ivb third) below the launch escape system, command and service...
- After building the Saturn V rocket, you can display the spacecraft horizontally with 3 stands; The Lunar Lander docks with the command and service...
When a spacecraft reenters on an uncontrolled basis, the spacecraft operator has to prove that the on-ground casualty risk posed by its satellite is lower than 1 in 10,000. So last year SADM manufacturer Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace (KDA) started an investigation supported by ESA, Hyperschall Technologie Göttingen GmbH (HTG) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to demonstrate the ‘desmisability’ of one of its satellite products,” said the ESA.
