出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』「2015/03/02 00:16:45」(JST)
Splashdown is the method of landing a spacecraft by parachute in a body of water. It was used by American manned spacecraft prior to the Space Shuttle program, and is planned for use by the upcoming Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. It is also possible for the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to land in water, though this is only a contingency. The only example of an unintentional manned splashdown in Soviet history is the Soyuz 23 landing.
As the name suggests, the capsule parachutes into an ocean or other large body of water. The properties of water cushion the spacecraft enough that there is no need for a braking rocket to slow the final descent as was the case with Russian and Chinese manned space capsules, which returned to Earth over land. The American practice came in part because American launch sites are on the coastline and launch primarily over water.[citation needed] Russian launch sites are far inland and most early launch aborts were likely to descend on land.[citation needed]
The splashdown method of landing was utilized for Mercury, Gemini and Apollo (including Skylab, which used Apollo capsules). On one occasion a Soviet spacecraft, Soyuz 23, punched through the ice of a frozen lake (nearly killing the cosmonauts), and this was unintentional.[1]
On early Mercury flights, a helicopter attached a cable to the capsule, lifted it from the water and delivered it to a nearby ship. This was changed after the sinking of Liberty Bell 7. All later Mercury, Gemini and Apollo capsules had a flotation collar (similar to a rubber life raft) attached to the spacecraft to increase their buoyancy. The spacecraft would then be brought alongside a ship and lifted onto deck by crane.
After the flotation collar is attached, a hatch on the spacecraft is usually opened. At that time, some astronauts decide to be hoisted aboard a helicopter for a ride to the recovery ship and some decided to stay with the spacecraft and be lifted aboard ship via crane. (Because of his overshoot aboard Aurora 7, and mindful of the fate of Liberty Bell 7, Scott Carpenter alone egressed through the nose of his capsule instead of through the hatch, waiting for recovery forces in his life raft.) All Gemini and Apollo flights (Apollos 7 to 17) used the former, while Mercury missions from Mercury 6 to Mercury 9, as well as all Skylab missions and Apollo-Soyuz used the latter, especially the Skylab flights as to preserve all medical data. During the Gemini and Apollo programs, NASA used MV Retriever for the astronauts to practice water egress.
Apollo 11 was America's first moon landing mission and marks the first time that humans walked on the surface of another planetary body. The possibility of the astronauts bringing “Moon germs” back to Earth was remote, but not impossible. To contain any possible contaminates at the scene of the splashdown, the astronauts donned special Biological Isolation Garments and the outside of the suits were scrubbed prior to the astronauts being hoisted aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12) and escorted safely inside a Mobile Quarantine Facility.[2]
The early design concept for the new U.S. Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle featured recovery on land using a combination of parachutes and airbags, although it was also designed to make a contingency splashdown (only for an in-flight abort) if needed. Due to weight considerations, the airbag design concept was dropped. The present design concept features landings via splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.[3]
The most dangerous aspect is the possibility of the spacecraft flooding and sinking. For example, when the hatch of Gus Grissom's Mercury-Redstone 4 capsule malfunctioned and blew prematurely, the capsule sank and Grissom almost drowned.
Despite the fact that water helps cushion the spacecraft's landing to an extent, the impact can still be quite violent for the astronauts.
If the capsule comes down far from any recovery forces the crew are exposed to greater danger. As an example, Scott Carpenter in Mercury 7 overshot the assigned landing zone by 400 kilometers (250 mi). These recovery operation mishaps can be mitigated by placing several vessels on standby in several different locations, but this is quite an expensive option.
# | Spacecraft | Landing Date | Coordinates | Recovery Ship | Miss Distance (kilometres) | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Freedom 7 | May 5, 1961 | 27°13.7′N 75°53′W / 27.2283°N 75.883°W / 27.2283; -75.883 (Freedom 7) | USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) | 5.6 | [4] |
2 | Liberty Bell 7 | July 21, 1961 | 27°32′N 75°44′W / 27.533°N 75.733°W / 27.533; -75.733 (Liberty Bell 7) | USS Randolph (CVS-15) | 9.3 | [5] |
3 | Friendship 7 | February 20, 1962 | 21°26′N 68°41′W / 21.433°N 68.683°W / 21.433; -68.683 (Friendship 7) | USS Noa (DD-841) (USS Randolph (CVS-15)**) |
74 | [6] |
4 | Aurora 7 | May 24, 1962 | 19°27′N 63°59′W / 19.450°N 63.983°W / 19.450; -63.983 (Aurora 7) | {USS Pierce DD-753 (USS Intrepid (CVS-11)**) |
400 | [7] |
5 | Sigma 7 | October 3, 1962 | 32°06′N 174°28′W / 32.100°N 174.467°W / 32.100; -174.467 (Sigma 7) | USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) | 7.4 | [8] |
6 | Faith 7 | May 16, 1963 | 27°20′N 176°26′W / 27.333°N 176.433°W / 27.333; -176.433 (Faith 7) | USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) | 8.1 | [9] |
7 | Gemini 3 | March 23, 1965 | 22°26′N 70°51′W / 22.433°N 70.850°W / 22.433; -70.850 (Gemini 3) | USS Intrepid (CVS-11) | 111 | [10] |
8 | Gemini 4 | June 7, 1965 | 27°44′N 74°11′W / 27.733°N 74.183°W / 27.733; -74.183 (Gemini 4) | USS Wasp (CVS-18) | 81 | [11] |
9 | Gemini 5 | August 29, 1965 | 29°44′N 69°45′W / 29.733°N 69.750°W / 29.733; -69.750 (Gemini 5) | USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39) | 270 | [12] |
10 | Gemini 7 | December 18, 1965 | 25°25′N 70°07′W / 25.417°N 70.117°W / 25.417; -70.117 (Gemini 7) | USS Wasp (CVS-18) | 12 | [13] |
11 | Gemini 6A | December 16, 1965 | 23°35′N 67°50′W / 23.583°N 67.833°W / 23.583; -67.833 (Gemini 6A) | USS Wasp (CVS-18) | 13 | [14] |
12 | Gemini 8 | March 17, 1966 | 25°14′N 136°0′E / 25.233°N 136.000°E / 25.233; 136.000 (Gemini 8) | USS Leonard F. Mason (DD-852) (USS Boxer (LPH-4)**) |
2 | [15] |
13 | Gemini 9A | June 6, 1966 | 27°52′N 75°0′W / 27.867°N 75.000°W / 27.867; -75.000 (Gemini 9A) | USS Wasp (CVS-18) | 0.7 | [16] |
14 | Gemini 10 | July 21, 1966 | 26°45′N 71°57′W / 26.750°N 71.950°W / 26.750; -71.950 (Gemini 10) | USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) | 6 | [17] |
15 | Gemini 11 | September 15, 1966 | 24°15′N 70°0′W / 24.250°N 70.000°W / 24.250; -70.000 (Gemini 11) | USS Guam (LPH-9) | 5 | [18] |
16 | Gemini 12 | November 15, 1966 | 24°35′N 69°57′W / 24.583°N 69.950°W / 24.583; -69.950 (Gemini 12) | USS Wasp (CVS-18) | 5 | [19] |
17 | Apollo 7 | October 22, 1968 | 27°32′N 64°04′W / 27.533°N 64.067°W / 27.533; -64.067 (Apollo 7) | USS Essex (CVS-9) | 3 | [20] |
18 | Apollo 8 | December 27, 1968 | 8°7.5′N 165°1.2′W / 8.1250°N 165.0200°W / 8.1250; -165.0200 (Apollo 8) | USS Yorktown (CVS-10) | 2 | [21] |
19 | Apollo 9 | March 13, 1969 | 23°15′N 67°56′W / 23.250°N 67.933°W / 23.250; -67.933 (Apollo 9) | USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7) | 5 | [22][23] |
20 | Apollo 10 | May 26, 1969 | 15°2′S 164°39′W / 15.033°S 164.650°W / -15.033; -164.650 (Apollo 10) | USS Princeton (LPH-5) | 2.4 | [24][25] |
21 | Apollo 11 | July 24, 1969 | 13°19′N 169°9′W / 13.317°N 169.150°W / 13.317; -169.150 (Apollo 11) | USS Hornet (CVS-12) | 3.13 | [26][27] |
22 | Apollo 12 | November 24, 1969 | 15°47′S 165°9′W / 15.783°S 165.150°W / -15.783; -165.150 (Apollo 12) | USS Hornet (CVS-12) | 3.7 | [28][29] |
23 | Apollo 13 | April 17, 1970 | 21°38′S 165°22′W / 21.633°S 165.367°W / -21.633; -165.367 (Apollo 13) | USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) | 1.85 | [30][31] |
24 | Apollo 14 | February 9, 1971 | 27°1′S 172°39′W / 27.017°S 172.650°W / -27.017; -172.650 (Apollo 14) | USS New Orleans (LPH-11) | 1.1 | [32][33] |
25 | Apollo 15 | August 7, 1971 | 26°7′N 158°8′W / 26.117°N 158.133°W / 26.117; -158.133 (Apollo 15) | USS Okinawa (LPH-3) | 1.85 | [34][35] |
26 | Apollo 16 | April 27, 1972 | 0°43′S 156°13′W / 0.717°S 156.217°W / -0.717; -156.217 (Apollo 16) | USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) | 0.55 | [36][37] |
27 | Apollo 17 | December 19, 1972 | 17°53′S 166°7′W / 17.883°S 166.117°W / -17.883; -166.117 (Apollo 17) | USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) | 1.85 | [38][39] |
28 | Skylab 2 | June 22, 1973 | 24°45′N 127°2′W / 24.750°N 127.033°W / 24.750; -127.033 (Skylab 2) | USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) | [40] | |
29 | Skylab 3 | September 25, 1973 | 30°47′N 120°29′W / 30.783°N 120.483°W / 30.783; -120.483 (Skylab 3) | USS New Orleans (LPH-11) | [41] | |
30 | Skylab 4 | February 8, 1974 | 31°18′N 119°48′W / 31.300°N 119.800°W / 31.300; -119.800 (Skylab 4) | USS New Orleans (LPH-11) | [42] | |
31 | ASTP Apollo | July 24, 1975 | 22°N 163°W / 22°N 163°W / 22; -163 (ASTP Apollo) | USS New Orleans (LPH-11) | 1.3 | [43][44] |
Soyuz 23 | October 16, 1976 | Lake Tengiz | Helicopter Mi-8 | [45] |
Planned recovery ship **
Spacecraft | Agency | Landing Date | Coordinates | Recovery Ship | Miss Distance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jupiter AM-18 | USAF | May 28, 1959 | 48 to 96 km N Antigua Is | USS Kiowa (ATF-72) | 16 km[46] |
Mercury-Big Joe | NASA | September 9, 1959 | 2,407 km SE Cape Canaveral | USS Strong (DD-758) | 925 km[47] |
Mercury-Little Joe 2 | NASA | December 4, 1959 | 319 km SE Wallops Is, VA | USS Borie (DD-704) | ? km[48] |
Mercury-Redstone 1A | NASA | December 19, 1960 | 378.2 km SE Cape Canaveral | USS Valley Forge (CV-45) | 12.9 km[49] |
Mercury-Redstone 2 | NASA | January 31, 1961 | 675.9 km SE Cape Canaveral | USS Donner (LSD-20)[50] | 209.2 km[51] |
Mercury-Atlas 2 | NASA | February 21, 1961 | 2293.3 km SE Cape Canaveral | USS Donner (LSD-20)[50] | 20.9 km[52] |
Discoverer 25 | USAF | June 16, 1961 | ? | US recovery ship | mid-air recovery missed |
Mercury-Atlas 4 | NASA | September 13, 1961 | 257.5 km E of Bermuda | USS Decatur (DD-936) | 64.4 km[53] |
Mercury-Atlas 5 | NASA | November 29, 1961 | 804.7 km SE of Bermuda | USS Stormes (DD-780) | ? km[54] |
Gemini 2 | NASA | January 19, 1965 | 16°33.9′N 49°46.27′W / 16.5650°N 49.77117°W / 16.5650; -49.77117 (Gemini 2) 3423.1 km downrange from KSC | USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) | 38.6 km[55] |
Apollo 201 | NASA | February 26, 1966 | 8°11′S 11°09′W / 8.18°S 11.15°W / -8.18; -11.15 (Apollo 201) 8,472 km downrange from KSC | USS Boxer (LPH-4) | ? km[56] |
Apollo 202 | NASA | August 25, 1966 | 16°07′N 168°54′E / 16.12°N 168.9°E / 16.12; 168.9 (Apollo 202) 804.7 km southwest of Wake Island | USS Hornet (CVS-12) | ? km[57] |
Gemini 2-MOL | USAF | November 3, 1966 | 8,149.7 km SE KSC near Ascension Is. | USS La Salle (LPD-3) | 11.26 km[58] |
Apollo 4 | NASA | November 9, 1967 | 30°06′N 172°32′W / 30.1°N 172.53°W / 30.1; -172.53 (Apollo 4) | USS Bennington (CVS-20) | 16 km[59] |
Apollo 6 | NASA | April 4, 1968 | 27°40′N 157°59′W / 27.667°N 157.983°W / 27.667; -157.983 (Apollo 6) | USS Okinawa (LPH-3) | ? km[60] |
Zond 5 | USSR | September 21, 1968 | 32°38′S 65°33′E / 32.63°S 65.55°E / -32.63; 65.55 (Zond 5) | USSR recovery naval vessel Borovichy and Vasiliy Golovin | 105 km[61][62] |
Zond 8 | USSR | October 27, 1970 | 730 km SE of the Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean | USSR recovery ship Taman | 24 km[63][64] |
Cosmos 1374 | USSR | June 4, 1982 | 17°S 98°E / 17°S 98°E / -17; 98 (Cosmos 1374) 560 km S of Cocos Islands, Indian Ocean | USSR recovery ship | ? km |
Cosmos 1445 | USSR | March 15, 1983 | 556 km S of Cocos Islands, Indian Ocean | USSR recovery ship | ? km |
Cosmos 1517 | USSR | December 27, 1983 | near Crimea, Black Sea | USSR recovery ship | ? km |
Cosmos 1614 | USSR | December 19,1984 | ? km W of the Crimea, Black Sea | USSR recovery ship | ? km |
COTS Demo Flight 1 | SpaceX | December 8, 2010 | 800 km west of Baja California, Mexico, Pacific Ocean | ? | 0.8 km[65] |
Dragon C2+ | SpaceX | May 31, 2012 | 26°55′N 120°42′W / 26.92°N 120.7°W / 26.92; -120.7 (Dragon C2+) | ? | ?[66] |
CRS SpX-1 | SpaceX | October 28, 2012 | ? | American Islander[67] | ?[68] |
CRS SpX-2 | SpaceX | March 27, 2013 | ? | American Islander | ?[69] |
Exploration Flight Test 1 | NASA | December 5, 2014 | 23.6°N 116.4°W / 23.6°N 116.4°W / 23.6; -116.4 (EFT-1), 275 miles west of Baja California | USS Anchorage (LPD-23) |
The Apollo 15 spacecraft splashed down safely despite a parachute failure. (NASA)
Apollo 15 splashdown. (NASA)
Apollo 11 after splashdown. (NASA)
Apollo 13 hoisted onto ship. (NASA)
Gemini water egress training.
Recovery of the Dragon C2+ on May 31, 2012.
Recovery of the EFT-1 Orion, 5 December 2014
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