NASA loses contact with Moon-bound Capstone satellite – IT Pro – News

The satellite uses a more favorable (in terms of fuel consumption) trajectory than Apollo to reach this orbit. For Apollo to orbit the moon, the capstone (if it still exists) had to move very slowly. ) shoots up to 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, then falls back (with minor corrections where necessary) and “catch” (ballistic capture) into a proper orbit around the Moon.

Delta-V (a spacecraft’s still available velocity/energy) depends on your vehicle’s mass and amount of fuel. Mass has more “room” (pun intended) if you can reach a certain destination with less fuel. Therefore, materials for lunar platforms are more likely to travel long distances.

Additionally, slowing down a large/heavy ship in space (with engines) is very tricky, you turn your ship “against the flow” (backwards) and then turn on the engines. Then you fly through your own emissions.

As long as you don’t have life on board and time isn’t a big factor, using physical events (such as this ballistic transfer or, for example, the acceleration of interstellar gravity) is the best option.

[Reactie gewijzigd door pagani op 6 juli 2022 10:53]