Even though I am highly skeptical about the future of the entire Starship project, due to the unreliable silica-tile-based heat shield, I've designed what I believe to be the only viable landing leg design, just to keep my mind occupied. It's a simple, reliable design driven by a jack screw actuator. If you need to land on uneven terrain, like on Mars or the Moon, you absolutely need adjustable legs, which makes all other options obsolete. Pneumatic or hydraulic-based designs are out of the question for too many reasons to list.
I made a short video showing the methane-cooled Starship reentry shield concept. The shield features an inverted bell-shaped geometry, which offers several critical advantages. This configuration is inherently aerodynamically stable, eliminating the need for aft-actuated flaps. Furthermore, the shape significantly enhances aerodynamic braking authority, increases the effective radiative surface area, and improves lift-to-drag ratio for gliding capability during descent. configurations. The active cooling system involves the injection of methane at a flow rate of approximately 5 kg/s, distributed uniformly across the base of the shield via a single longitudinal injector conduit running the length of the vehicle. If the outer shell of the shield is fabricated from HASTELLOY or a high-melting-point titanium alloy, the structure should be capable of withstanding hundreds—potentially thousands—of reentry cycles with minimal degradation. In my assessment, this represents the only v...
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