Difference between revisions of "Soft Electric Landing on Luna"
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| − | Soft electric landing on Luna can be provided for an orbiting spacecraft in the following way. The spacecraft lines up with the runway on the equator at the same spot from which spacecraft are launched to [[GFDL:Lagrangian point|L2]]. | + | Soft electric landing on Luna can be provided for an orbiting spacecraft in the following way. |
| + | *The spacecraft lines up with the runway on the equator at the same spot from which spacecraft are launched to [[GFDL:Lagrangian point|L2]]. | ||
| + | *The incoming orbit is right down the middle of a rectangular cross section ditch. | ||
| + | *Two slots, one on each side of the ditch, lead to the linear electric motors that power the catcher that also races down this ditch. | ||
| + | *Structural members of the catcher disappear into these slots terminating in the moving portion of the linear electric motors. | ||
| + | *The spacecraft maneuvers so that its orbit brings it to the right place with the right velocity. | ||
| + | *The catcher adjusts its run to be there at the right time for a rendezvous. | ||
| + | *After catching the spacecraft, the catcher brakes electromagnetically, saving the energy as electricity that must be sotred in an accululator, such as a capacitor bank, batteries or induction rings. | ||
| − | This arrangement | + | This arrangement may be easier than soft landing by tether because a tether cannot adjust the time that it arrives at a rendezvous with a spacecraft. |
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| + | The facility described above is a high capacity version of a [[Mass Drivers|mass driver]]. | ||
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| + | This is landing at orbital speed, and would require a very long track to keep acceleration low. As V=a*t | ||
| + | Orbital velocity= v = 1680 m/s if we add 10% to elevate the orbit a bit, with let's say 1800 m/s | ||
| + | for an acceleration (a) of 2g, or 20 m/s2, the time required is 90 seconds. | ||
| + | In that time d=a*t^2/2 = 81 000m or 81 km. | ||
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| + | The same track should probably be usable for launching. | ||
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== See Also == | == See Also == | ||
* [[Eddy Current Brake to Orbit]] | * [[Eddy Current Brake to Orbit]] | ||
Revision as of 20:14, 17 October 2022
Soft electric landing on Luna can be provided for an orbiting spacecraft in the following way.
- The spacecraft lines up with the runway on the equator at the same spot from which spacecraft are launched to L2.
- The incoming orbit is right down the middle of a rectangular cross section ditch.
- Two slots, one on each side of the ditch, lead to the linear electric motors that power the catcher that also races down this ditch.
- Structural members of the catcher disappear into these slots terminating in the moving portion of the linear electric motors.
- The spacecraft maneuvers so that its orbit brings it to the right place with the right velocity.
- The catcher adjusts its run to be there at the right time for a rendezvous.
- After catching the spacecraft, the catcher brakes electromagnetically, saving the energy as electricity that must be sotred in an accululator, such as a capacitor bank, batteries or induction rings.
This arrangement may be easier than soft landing by tether because a tether cannot adjust the time that it arrives at a rendezvous with a spacecraft.
The facility described above is a high capacity version of a mass driver.
This is landing at orbital speed, and would require a very long track to keep acceleration low. As V=a*t Orbital velocity= v = 1680 m/s if we add 10% to elevate the orbit a bit, with let's say 1800 m/s for an acceleration (a) of 2g, or 20 m/s2, the time required is 90 seconds. In that time d=a*t^2/2 = 81 000m or 81 km.
The same track should probably be usable for launching.
