After the tantalizing first description of the problem of how to deploy the parachutes effectively to stop the BLOODHOUND Super Sonic Car, I asked Dr John Davis for more details. Specifically, I asked what is the objective of the choice of chute opening times and what constraints apply.
John replied with the following information:
1) We want to stop at exactly 10 miles so we are ready to turn around to go back
2) We can not deploy the parachutes above a certain speed, definitely not supersonic
3) We can stop at 10 miles by two methods
a) Airbrake at the end of the measured mile and wheel brakes at about 150 mph. This is the preferred option.
b) Parachutes: first just sub-sonic, second almost immediately afterwards, followed by wheel brakes maybe a bit faster than 150 mph
4) If the airbrake only partly deploys we will need one parachute, but not necessarily at high speed. This will be very dynamic
5) The air-brake has one good mode of deployment and four possible failure modes, three with a reduced function, one with no functionLike many real-world problem (or Dr Who's tardis!), the problem gets bigger once you get beyond the front door. How would you interpret the additional information? What additional questions would you ask? Comments below please.
In my next blog post, I'll write about how I interpreted the above information and the questions I asked next.
