Would Moon Launches Increase Interstellar probe speeds significantly?

reply to post by VictorVonDoom


They don't launch straight up for a reason. No space probe goes in a straight line for a reason. Once you leave earth escape velocity the sun is the next escape velocity you must defeat. NASA and every other space agency that launches earth escape velocity spacecrafts, use the sun or the closest greatest gravitational attraction to project it's flight path or increase the craft's speed.

Originally posted by H1ght3chHippie


What we need is some more sophisticated form of propulsion, something tells me anti-gravity or something like this is the way you should do it.

edit on 3-9-2011 by H1ght3chHippie because: typo

Yes that would certainly be the way to go,I personally believe that there are (terrestrial) anti gravity craft in service courtesy of research conducted by individuals such as Richard Miethe,Viktor Schauberger and of course Nikolai Tesla.(check the USAF's project winterhaven also)
In fact the B-2 is almost certainly a hybrid aircraft using its low bypass ratio turbofans in conjunction with an electro gravitic system in order to increase manoeuverability by minimising the mass of the aircraft and its occupants.thereby allowing it to make virtually instantaneous course changes,pretty handy if trying to evade a SAM,

The B-2 wing leading edge is still highly classified and there have been reports of ground crew being killed after coming into contact with the leading edge after flight,extremely high voltages being a necessary by product of an electro gravitic system.

reply to post by nake13


The B2 is a subsonic craft, its engine nozzles are configured for the least amount of radar/heat signature. By most radars when it was developed it was no larger than a sparrow. Times have changed, but the B2 was never designed to go supersonic, just very far, very high, with minimal radar visibility, and carry a very large payload, (BOMBS), and that's sort of why it is not very High Tech anymore. It's sort of a black White Elephant. I bought a Satellite dish in 1993 that fits that description in a much different way.

Would Moon Launches Increase Interstellar probe speeds significantly?

No.


Escape velocity from ...

Sun 617,500 meters a second
Earth 11,201 meters a second
Moon 2,400 meters a second

As one can see, to even get off the Earth and into space a craft has to be going much much faster than one launched from the Moon.

The real advantage of a Moon launch is that a larger craft can be lifted with less stress on the craft itself. Something huge could be launched from the moon, that would just fall to peices if launched from Earth.



In the case of a probe, as specifically stated in the opening post, we are discussing a tiny craft. One that will survive an earth lauch fairly well already. BUT, from the moon a much lighter craft could be launched. The trouble is that while this _could_ potentially give a better fuel thrust to weight ratio (resulting in greater speeds) the g forces themselves would once again start to tear the probe apart.


We want a very strong, very small, very light craft, with zero life forms on it, and huge acceleration. This will shorten travel times.


David Grouchy

reply to post by Illustronic


Officially the B-2 is indeed designed to perform within a subsonic regime,however,I believe that it is more advanced than officially admitted to,it may be a white elephant as you stated ,but only because it has served its purpose as a "decoy" for more advanced aircraft with more integrated electro gravitic systems.I believe that the B-2 was nothing more than a proof of concept vehicle for an electro gravitic system now fitted to the next generation.

Originally posted by Dr Expired

As a side note would remote control mini probes work? for travelling to the planets?
Based on the same technology as remote controlled hobby and toy planes?

Not very well because of the communications delay. This is just for one way :

Earth-Mars 55 - 378 million km 3 - 21 minutes
Earth-Jupiter 590 - 970 million km 33 - 53 minutes
Earth-Pluto ~5800 million km 5 hours
Earth-Nearest Star ~9.5 million million km 4 years

The best places to launch interplanetary or interstellar probes from Earth-Moon system are lagrangian points. These are the "highest" points, and therefore you dont have to climb from Earth/Moon gravity field like when launching from Earth, Moon or low orbits.

Originally posted by Biigs

Originally posted by MrStyx
That is an interesting idea. I still don't understand why we haven't traveled to the moon more than we have. I'm sure they didn't get all the data they needed with one trip. Or maybe they did see all they needed to see there. I'd hope once the private sector starts in on the space race that they make it a point to go back again.

They will be for sure.

The reason why not now, is no one cant really afford it, theres masisve ecomonic disruptence, no real need to kiss goodby to a few more billion for yet another reason to say "we went and put another flag in the moon again".

Establishing a moon base would be cool for a short stay, im sure the novelty would ware off after a few luna buggy joy rides and some hopping about. Though the view of earth would take a while to ware off. That would be worth some peoples entire fortune, to them.

Not much will change till stratospheric planes can fire relitivly "light" cargo missiles on their journey from LEO to outta space.

Filling the rockets tanks costs nothing compared to paying everyone else to make sure it doesnt blow up. NASA is very well aware of this.

Nah I never bought the too expensive argument. Hard economic times are relatively recent. And we still learn new things about the moon everyday. Expense and nothing new to learn there aren't the reasons we haven't gone. There is something a little more to this.