Spacecraft Engineering Interview Question:

Please explain that if a craft is orbiting the earth, i.g. the space shuttle and its orbit degrades, is it possible to safely re-enter without compromising the integrity of the craft?

Submitted by: Administrator

In a normal re-entry an entry interface point is selected about 4,000 miles from the landing site. That point is at 400,000 feet and is considered to be at the top of the atmosphere. Since the Shuttle may be orbiting at 200 nautical miles (a nautical mile {NM} is 6080 feet as compared to the miles we are used to which are 5280 feet) its trajectory must be modified to arrive at the entry interface point at the correct angle of descent and of course be at the correct location. If the Shuttle is in an orbit at 200 nautical miles that is equivalent to 1,216,000 feet. The Shuttle fires the Orbiting Maneuvering Engines (OMS) to get on the new orbit that will arrive at the desired entry interface point with the desired conditions.
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