Fail-safe
In the context of aerospace engineering, a fail-safe is a design feature or practice that in the event of a specific type of failure, inherently responds in a way that will cause minimal or no harm to other equipment, the environment, or people. Fail-safe mechanisms are designed to be automatically activated in the event of power or system failure. They are crucial in aerospace engineering to ensure the safety of the aircraft and its passengers. For instance, in the event of hydraulic system failure, an aircraft's control surfaces may default to a neutral position, allowing the pilot to maintain some degree of control. Another example is the automatic deployment of landing gear in the event of a system failure. Fail-safe systems are also used in the design of spacecraft, where they can prevent catastrophic failures that could result in the loss of the spacecraft or its crew. These systems are designed to be robust and reliable, and are often tested under extreme conditions to ensure their effectiveness.
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