VonHelton Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 I have downloaded & watched most of the BBC Series: "The Planets". The answer to getting to Mars cheaply was answered to my satisfaction. ......Solar wind! After Voager 1 & 2 were well beyod Pluto, a solar flare caused a solar wind to be produced. This wind not only caught up with both Voyagers, it passed them by like rush hour traffic! In fact, it exceeded beyond Pluto......... FOUR TIMES THE DISTANCE FROM THE SUN TO PLUTO!! ....Wow! It finally stopped just shy of the next solar system. So, not only are these solar winds fast, but far reaching as well. We need to make "sails" to catch this wind, and we could reduce the trip to Mars down to less than a month! Of course, we'd still need engines for the trip back, but any time saved is that much the better. Who knows? Maybe there are "winds" we can catch to fly *BACK* just as fast! See, I TOLD YOU there were "currents" in space, and here they are!! :cyclops: Source: BBC: The Planets - Vol 5 "Star" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulreaper Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Well, VH - anyone who has watched DS9 would know and agree :D So yep, I do! lol - just wanted to break the 200th posting :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonHelton Posted April 9, 2005 Author Share Posted April 9, 2005 Well, VH - anyone who has watched DS9 would know and agree :D So yep, I do! lol - just wanted to break the 200th posting :D Getting to Mars & back in just over a month or 2 would make it profitable to have a long term colony, let alone the benefits of mining. :cyclops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the6ofpopes Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 In future (next 500 to 1000yrs) manned space travel to outlying regions of space (beyond Mar's) the thought of "GETTING BACK" won't be part of the equation. Our current space agency's will need to focus on this reality for anything in the way meaningfull space exploration to take place. To continue with the "how do we get there & back" philosophy will limit us to this solar system for ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werecow Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 i remember reading a superman novel in the 70's in which lex luthor constructed a spacecraft based on solar wind to propell it and then i thought it was a neat concept...has anyone ever been able to tell the speed/velocity at which these solar winds travel?? and as far as getting back just tack the sail as you would do on a conventional sail boat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerberus Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Isnt most of the effort involved in space travel used up in breaking out of the earth's gravity well? We need ourselves a space elevator first, then we can all sail the solar system. And whats on Mars thats profitable to the people on earth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werecow Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Isnt most of the effort involved in space travel used up in breaking out of the earth's gravity well? We need ourselves a space elevator first, then we can all sail the solar system. And whats on Mars thats profitable to the people on earth? Martian Women!!!!!! B) B) B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xtremeskiing Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Isnt most of the effort involved in space travel used up in breaking out of the earth's gravity well? We need ourselves a space elevator first, then we can all sail the solar system. And whats on Mars thats profitable to the people on earth? Upon landing a man on Mars, it is what mankind will find within it's self, that is the most profitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralLee Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 This research has been in the pipeline for decades, it was at my university, and that idea is now being dropped in favour of the so-called Lightcraft. See this link: http://www.eng.rpi.edu/mane/lightcraft/ Still, everyone thought Myrabo was a loon back when he was proposing solar sails... now, with the lightcraft... :stare: Yep. The idea of using sails, has been around for a long time now. I recall seeing some animations of the idea, quite some time ago. I went to the website, that you pasted above, but the further links there seemed broken to me. From the little I was able to read there, this lightcraft, sounds very similar to what the so called "Pleiadians" use to get around in, and they refer to their craft as "beam ships." EDIT: I did some snooping around on google, and found this link. Is this what you were referring to about lightcraft? http://www.lightcrafttechnologies.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuages Posted April 10, 2005 Share Posted April 10, 2005 Here are some links to some various trojans and worms... some older relevant articles, but not to old like 6 months. I'm not sure what happened with that one solar sail launch though. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/cosmos-1_update_041109.html http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040810102738.htm http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-10/uow-npc101404.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonHelton Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 You'd need to do a study of the energy you can harvest with a solar sail' date=' versus the mass you'd move (classic [b']F = ma[/b]) and build up your speed. How do you figure that?? Why does the weight of my ship matter? We're in weightless space!! And, there's very little resistance in space too! .......There should be very little difference in the speed of the wind vs the speed of my ship! Resistance is an inhibitor.....Remove it, and phenominal speed is the result. When it comes to solar wind....... RESISTANCE IS FUTILE! :) "Arr matey! Hoist the mainsil & prepare to shove off! Avast, ye landlubbers! Next stop is Mars, home of the skervy dogs & lots o' brew!" :p Oh, and for the record, I don't believe I have to wait 2 years to use the solar wind. I believe they are always out there. For sure, not as strong as when a flare acts up, but plenty fast to shorten the time it takes to send supplies!! We should be sending a steady stream of supplies to Mars right NOW!! :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonHelton Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 Solar Winds can not move such masses without HUUUUUUUUUUGE sails' date=' the construction and maintenance of which provide their own problems.[/quote'] You mean like this? :cyclops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonHelton Posted April 10, 2005 Author Share Posted April 10, 2005 :cyclops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thanatos355 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 correct me if i'm wrong, but while weight isnt an issue in space, MASS still is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulreaper Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Especially when comming near gravitational fields :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thanatos355 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 ahh, but that's where weight comes back into play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulreaper Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 Yes "MASS" - my point exactly, but still I think it's a good thought from VH (THREAD). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werecow Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 ahh' date=' but that's where weight comes back into play. [/quote'] ever heard of a slingshot?? or tried it on a steep curve???you know.. where you hang the inside and drift out coming out of it and pick up speed?? thats the way these kinds of craft can use all parts of physics to benefit their size/mass (there's alwaws more than one way to peel an onion..and as buggs bunny said about breaking the law of gravity"i never studied law") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thanatos355 Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 oh yes wc, i know about driving fast! :cyclops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azuro Posted April 11, 2005 Share Posted April 11, 2005 wow! how exciting! so it simply the measure of the objects inertia. an object in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by another force which in this case, gravity. SCIENCE CLASS AGAIN! guess it wont be as easy as it looks in DS9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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