Adapter (rocketry)
In rocketry, an adapter is a hollow cylindricalScript error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". or conical segment[1] which provides a sound aerodynamic and structural connection, either between rocket stages (often referred to as an interstage) or between a spacecraft and the top rocket stage (referred to as a payload adapter). It may shroud and protect vulnerable systems such as electrics or machinery of rocket engines/spacecraft from weather or noise caused by running engines.[2] It is discarded during staging.
Examples of rocket stages featuring an interstage adapter:
- Centaur (second stage of several Atlas-based launch vehicles, from Atlas-Centaur to Atlas V)[3][4][5]
- S-II and S-IVB (second and third stage of the Saturn V)[6][7]
- The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) of SLS Block 1 is connected to the Core Stage with the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA)[8][9]
Examples of rocket stages featuring a payload adapter:
- (Planned) The Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) is expected to connect large secondary co-manifested payloads SLS Block 1B/2 using the Universal Stage Adapter (USA).[10]
References
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Sources
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