New Horizons Jupiter Encounter Options

[Guest_AlexBlackwell_*]

I thought I'd start a new thread for this:

Jupiter Encounter Begins
January 10, 2007

[Guest_Analyst_*]

What object was the fastest ever?

Relative to what? Sun, Earth, Jupiter ...?

[ugordan]

Relative to what? Sun, Earth, Jupiter ...?

Galactic center?

[Bob Shaw]

Galactic center?

Great Attractor?

Seriously, though, velocity at departure from Earth might be one way of doing it - or even days in flight/distance from Earth (aha! which side of the orbit... ...oh, bother!).


Bob Shaw

[ugordan]

Bob, in that case it would be more fitting to talk about energy, not velocity, specifically Characteristic energy. A smaller payload can get propelled faster so energies are a better way to directly compare things. Talking about speed is just a way to invoke that "oooh" factor in laymen, nothing else.
It's All Relative ™, anyway...

[Bob Shaw]

Bob, in that case it would be more fitting to talk about energy, not velocity, specifically Characteristic energy. A smaller payload can get propelled faster so energies are a better way to directly compare things. Talking about speed is just a way to invoke that "oooh" factor in laymen, nothing else.
It's All Relative ™, anyway...

Yes, I'd been idly musing in that direction... ...really, we'd need a new unit of energy, too - something comparable to area (the Wales) or mass (the US Naval Destroyer).


Bob Shaw