Aerobraking at Triton |
Aerobraking at Triton |
Jan 15 2007, 02:01 PM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Flying on Triton is no problem; you just need a chopper with blades a couple of kilometers long...
(Semi)seriously, would anything we think of as atmospheric flight work at all on Triton? I doubt that even a balloon "filled" with several cubic km of lab-quality vacuum would generate enough lift to get itself off the surface, much less a useful payload. Mars by comparison is a veritable pressure cooker. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Jan 17 2007, 10:42 PM
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#2
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Hmm...Helvick saves the day again with his powerful secret weapon, deep knowledge of math & physics!
That does sound perfectly feasible. I guess the major variables really are how much velocity needs to be shed before entering orbit, and whether savings can be realized via creative trajectories prior to attempting it. Perhaps we'd have to aerobrake once at Neptune during entry into the system & then do the same at Triton (f this is even feasible with the moon's retrograde orbit & 157 deg orbital inclination!) . Still not a fan of ballutes yet, though. That technology needs to be VERY well tested before trying it on a mission that could only be re-flown a couple of times per century (transit time included). -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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