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0 pointssjtrny11y ago0 comments

I wonder if the reusable rockets from SpaceX could recover from a flipped position during re-entry?

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3 comments · 1 top-level

exDM6911y ago· 2 in thread

No, they can't. Once you're supersonic, the aerodynamic stress will tear a rocket into shreds if there's even a few degrees of angle of attack.

But if you're high enough, the forces are not very high, so there's probably a Q limit, (that is, proportional to density * speed^2).

lutorm11y ago

Yeah, the landing attempts obviously flip before entry, while they're out of the atmosphere.

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