PLATO is a small unmanned winged reentry vehicle designed for launch by Ariane. It is intended to conduct material and life science experiments in space and to develop materials, structures and navigation and control techniques for future spacecraft. In the first phase of the feasibility study of PLATO, the ascent, reentry and return flight phases were investigated by means of computer simulations, analyses and low speed wind tunnel tests. These demonstrated a rectangular winged version of PLATO has the best aerodynamic characteristics. The ascent profile was determined by iterative computer simulations which took into account the wind profile at the Kourou launch site. The study shows that simplicity in the realization of the concept and minimization of costs are possible.
PLATO: A European Plateform Orbiter Concept
1989
12 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Unmanned Spacecraft , Reentry vehicles , Space platforms , Spacecraft design , Ariane launch vehicle , Computer aided design , Gliders , Ascent , European space programs , Return to earth space flight , Spaceborne experiments , Spacecraft reentry , Supersonic flight , Wind tunnel tests , Foreign technology , PLATO vehicle