As seen in Gravity, and also in this youtube video:
, the Soyuz main engine is covered by a metal plate that it mechanically moved out of the way before firing. What is the function of this covering?
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1Maybe it's to protect the nozzles from space debris. – Rikki-Tikki-Tavi Sep 22 '14 at 13:09
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2Could also be to protect the space station's environment from leaking oxidizer. – Rikki-Tikki-Tavi Sep 22 '14 at 13:36
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would be a micrometeorite cover. – hraish kumar Dec 11 '14 at 04:12
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It's to protect the engine from the low temperature. The cover is removed before the deorbit burn:
(Source: Kosmonavtika)
$\rightarrow$ During mission Soyuz-32 in 1979, the cosmonauts forgot to open the cover before firing the SKD docked to Salyut-6 space station. This was a test burn. The cover was destroyed, and the engines left unprotected. As a protective measure, the station was reoriented so that the Soyuz temperature variations were limited.
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