Patent ID: 8413927

Claim:
A landing gear system for a spacecraft that includes plural landing legs connected to and extending from a spacecraft body, and at least one retrorocket or retrothruster mounted on said spacecraft body; wherein said landing gear system comprises an evaluating unit that is connected for control signal transmission to said at least one retrorocket or retrothruster; and wherein said landing gear system further comprises respectively for each landing leg of said plural landing legs: a landing foot pad arranged at a distal end of said landing leg, a pivotal connection joint that pivotally connects said landing foot pad with said distal end of said landing leg, a substantially rigid truss arrangement of plural hollow struts that immovably connects said landing foot pad with said distal end of said landing leg, wherein at least two respective hollow struts of said plural hollow struts each respectively have a rated breaking point with a lower mechanical strength than a remaining portion of each one of said at least two respective hollow struts, and at least two electrical sensor elements selected from the group consisting of electrical switches and breakable electrical conductor wires, wherein said sensor elements are respectively arranged in said at least two respective hollow struts that each have said rated breaking point, wherein said sensor elements are connected by at least one electrical conduction path to said evaluating unit, and wherein said sensor elements are respectively adapted to open or close said at least one electrical conduction path in reaction to a mechanical disruption of said rated breaking points of said at least two respective hollow struts in which said sensor elements are arranged.