Translate the text in a written form. Solar sails are a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion using large membrane mirrors
Solar sails are a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion using large membrane mirrors. Radiation pressure is small and decreases by the square of the distance from the sun, but unlike rockets, solar sails require no fuel. Although the thrust is small, it continues as long as the sun shines and the sail is deployed.
Solar collectors, temperature-control panels and sun shades are occasionally used as expedient solar sails, to help ordinary spacecraft and satellites make minor corrections to their attitude and orbit without using fuel. This conserves fuel that would otherwise be used for maneuvering and attitude control. A few have even had small purpose-built solar sails for this use. For example, EADS Astrium built Eurostar E3000 geostationary communications satellites use solar sail panels attached to their solar cell arrays to off-load transverse angular momentum, thereby saving fuel. Some unmanned spacecraft have substantially extended their service lives with this practice.
The science of solar sails is well-proven, but the technology to manage large solar sails is still undeveloped. Mission planners are not yet willing to risk multimillion dollar missions on unproven solar sail unfolding and steering mechanisms. This neglect has inspired some enthusiasts to attempt private development of the technology, such as the Cosmos 1.
The concept was first proposed by German astronomer Johannes Kepler in the seventeenth century. It was again proposed by Friedrich Zander in the late 1920s and gradually refined over the decades.
Speaking
1. You are to prepare a report for student’s scientific conference. Proposed topics are:
A) modern trends in aircraft engines
B) spacecraft power plants
In your report you should compare different types of power plants, highlight their advantages and disadvantages, analyze their conformity with purposes of the aircraft. Conduct an investigation to find out some more information.
UNIT 12
The Landing Gear
Preparing to Read
Give a definition to the term “landing gear”. Try to predict what performances the landing gear must have.
Match the keywords with their translations.
1. undercarriage a. каркас
2. take-off b. шина
3. landing c. хвостовая опора
4. oleo unit d. масляный агрегат
5. tyre e. посадка
6. nose over f. шасси
7. skid g. капотировать
8. framework h. взлёт
Reading
Read the text and write a brief heading for each paragraph.
The Landing Gear
A. The landing gear (or undercarriage) is intended to support the airplane in proper location for take-off and landing and to provide the shock absorption. The shock is usually absorbed by a sort of pneumatic tyres and shock-absorbing struts. The landing gear usually consists of a pair of wheels carried either from the fuselage or from the wings by a framework of hollow tubes called struts. In addition to these main wheels a support is needed at the rear of a machine. This is a tail wheel (or skid) carried on a swivelling mounting.
B. Two different arrangements of landing wheels are in use today. They are conventional tricycle gears and the landing gear with a skid.
C. The first, the tricycle type, has the main wheels mounted slightly aft of the centre of gravity and the third wheel (the nose wheel) in front. The second type comprises two main wheels located slightly forward of the airplane's centre of gravity and a tail skid at the rear.
D. The tricycle landing gear of the aircraft consists of one nose leg and two main legs. The nose leg is mounted under the nose section of the fuselage. The main legs are installed under the wing or the fuselage symmetrically with respect to its centre line. Tricycle gear has many advantages. It simplifies landing, eliminates the danger of nosing over and carries the airplane in normal take-off position. It permits an airplane to land and come to rest within a shorter distance.
E. Consequently, it is the rule today to employ retractable landing gear which can be drawn up (or retracted) in flight into the wing or fuselage structure. Most high-speed airplanes have retractable landing gears. The retracting mechanism may be either mechanical, powered by electric motors, or hydraulic. Various linkages are employed to perform the retraction of wheels and struts into the fuselage, wing or nacelles.
F. After take-off the nose leg is retracted into the well provided in the fuselage and the main legs are retracted into the well of special nacelles. The landing gear legs have oleo-pneumatic shock absorbers. The shock strut is the major assembly of the wheels. It consists of a shock absorber and other elements. The shock absorber comprises an outer steel tube with a welded top head which attaches a plunger.
G. The landing wheels are fitted with large diameter low-pressure tyres which allow the airplane to taxi over rough ground and also assist in absorbing the shock of landing. The landing gear is designed to withstand the loads imposed by rough landings and fast taxing. It must also carry the breaking loads in a fully braked landing.
H. The design of the tail wheel is similar to that of the main legs and usually consists of a single oleo unit. The tail wheel may be of the conductor type. When it is resting on the ground it provides an electrical earth contact and so prevents the aircraft and crew from damage through static electrical charges.
Comprehension Check