New Horizons: Pluto and Beyond

[Perfection]

Ten years isn't to far away. But why send a probe to Pluto? Cant we just aim Hubble at it and take some photos?

You can't get the resolution you need with the HST. This is waht you het:

While it is cool I could thnk of better places to spend the money in space exploration like cooler plants such as Saturn.

Pluto is definitely worth it, as a KBO it has properties unseen in other worlds, and it will provide more info on planetary data, and as always, there will be a surprise. Besides, we've already got Cassini working on Saturn.

I'd like to remind everyone that there's an asteroid that comes within four lunar distances of Earth. If we could nudge it a bit, we could set it into orbit of Earth, which would make building an orbit base/factory MUCH easier.

You'd need a lot more than a "nudge".

 

[betazed]

You'd need a lot more than a "nudge".

Not really. Depends on how far out in the orbit you give the nudge. If you give it at far enough distances then the nudge can be as small as a rocket firing on the asteroid surface.

Of course your calculations have to be amazingly accurate (the more far out the more accurate it needs ot be). Considering that the orbits of these bodies are chaotic I am not sure we can do those calculations.

 

[Perfection]

Hate to break it to you the moon is not 9 hours away.

The Pluto probe will basically zip past it accelerating most of the way so it can make it to moon in 9 hours.

For a human travel the fastest would be to accelerate half the way at maximum acceleration then slow down the next half at maximum decceleration and then go into orbit around the moon, which will require at least one orbit of travel around the moon.

I doubt it can be done in less than a few days.

Well! Let's find out! The moon is about 4x10^8 meters away

So that's accerating to the midpoint 2*10^8 meters away then accerating

let's say we go at a very nice 1g (10m/s^2)

using the formula d=.5*a*t^2

we find that it's 6300 sec to the midpoint

Total trip time is 3.5 hours.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Does that mean it takes three and half hours to get to the moon?

 

[Perfection]

Does that mean it takes three and half hours to get to the moon?

If we assume 1 g of acceleration all the way, yes.

 

[El_Machinae]

Only if you accelerate at 1 g the whole way. And that's prohibitive, if you use fuel. If you use solar sailing, that acceleration is not possible.

 

[Urederra]

If we assume 1 g of acceleration all the way, yes.

THen you'll make a really big crater when you arrive. A better estimate, but still theoretical, would be to accelerate at 1 g. until you reach half way to the moon and then decelerate at 1 g. until you softly moonland.

Anyway, what it worries me is that the vessel has a nuclear (or nucular, just in case Bush is reading) payload. While this could be OK for scientific purposes, using too many of those can be dangerous, if one explodes, it will release the nuclear (nucular) payload into the atmosphere.

 

[betazed]

Well! Let's find out! The moon is about 4x10^8 meters away

So that's accerating to the midpoint 2*10^8 meters away then accerating

let's say we go at a very nice 1g (10m/s^2)

using the formula d=.5*a*t^2

we find that it's 6300 sec to the midpoint

Total trip time is 3.5 hours.

Its actually less than that at 1g. You made a mistake. Now go back think about it and tell me what it is.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

THen you'll make a really big crater when you arrive. A better estimate, but still theoretical, would be to accelerate at 1 g. until you reach half way to the moon and then decelerate at 1 g. until you softly moonland.

That's what he said. You'd get there in roughly 3.55 hours.

 

[Urederra]

That's what he said. You'd get there in roughly 3.55 hours.

Ops, you are right.

The word "accerating" used twice in his second sentence confused me, though.

EDIT: and then, post #25 confused me even more...

 

[betazed]

ok guys. here's the run down

Distance to moon d

teh first half

d/2 = 1/2 g1 * t1^2 (acceleration g1 for time t1)

the next half

d/2 = g1 * t1 * t2 - 1/2 g2 t2^2 (acceleration -g2 for time t2)

so d = g1 * t1 * t2 + 1/2 g1 t1^2 - 1/2 g2 * t2^2

minimize t1 + t2

with teh constraint g1*t1 - g2 * t2 = 0

You can play around with various numbers of g1 and g2 and come to all sorts of times to the moon.

Of course all of this as long as all g*t are not relativistic velocities.

unless of course i made an extremely stupid mistake somewhere

 

[Bozo Erectus]

is 'teh' some mathematical thing, or a typo?

 

[Stapel]

but for me, the big story is that the moon is now only 9 hours away.

I'm going to Switzerland, 7 weeks from now. It will probably be a 9 hour drive.

I don't know about the Moon, but in Switzerland there is snow and ski slopes.

How about that?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

I'm going to Switzerland, 7 weeks from now. It will probably be a 9 hour drive.

I don't know about the Moon, but in Switzerland there is snow and ski slopes.

How about that?

I think your grandkids will vacation on the moon instead of Switzerland, and instead of skiing, they'll be flying like birds in giant, transparent domes.

 

[betazed]

is 'teh' some mathematical thing, or a typo?

that is my trademarked typo. I always write 'teh' instead of 'the'. Check my other posts. They are littered with 'teh' If you want I can edit my post (but I would rather not)

 

[Cuivienen]

is 'teh' some mathematical thing, or a typo?

Definitely a typo.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

that is my trademarked typo. I always write 'teh' istead of 'the'. Check my other posts. They are littered with 'teh' If you want I can edit my post (but I would rather not)

Ok. No, leave it I dont mind, its just that it was throwing off my calculations

 

[El_Machinae]

I think your grandkids will vacation on the moon instead of Switzerland, and instead of skiing, they'll be flying like birds in giant, transparent domes.

I thought they would be at war with my grandkids over limited resources?

 

[Bozo Erectus]

The winners will be flying like birds?

 

[betazed]

Just as an FYI... the mission has been delayed. The new launch time is tomorrow.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10878811/