[extropy-chat] SPACE: Deep Impact shows strong spectral lines...

[Mike Lorrey]

Update: it appears that the next perhilion will bring it close to Mars
and will end up close to Jupiter the following aphelion. That is 5.5
years from now. We know we can get to Mars in 6 months (this is how
long Deep Impact took to get to Tempel). A well financed project could
send twin missions together: one to Mars, the other to Jupiter via
Tempel, if launched 5 years from now. The Jupiter mission could use its
Tempel fuel to reach Jupiter from Tempel's aphelion, and get back out
of that gravity well, then use a solar sail to brake its return to
Earth. 

Such a mission may be able to fuel up with more than they used to get
to Mars orbit, using XCORs flexible inflatable fuel tank technology.

--- Mike Lorrey <mlorrey at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Observatories doing spectral analysis of post-Deep Impact ejecta show
> a
> very strong presence of water, ethane, methanol, hydrogen cyanide,
> acetylene, hydroxy, and carbon monoxide. The impactor apparently
> vaporized only after penetrating deeply, raising impact site
> temperatures to several thousand degrees.
> 
> The Spitzer space telescope will be observing Tempel until August
> 17th
> to estimate a full assay of the material continuing to escape from
> the
> crater created by the impactor. Preliminary info seems to confirm
> that
> they will be very useful fuelling stations for future solar system
> exploration and development.
> 
> In fact, hitching a ride on Tempel might be a really good way to send
> a
> manned mission to Jupiter, as such a mission will have plenty of time
> to refine cometary material to refuel their ship with once they've
> rendezvoused with Tempel, fuel that will be very necessary to return
> to
> Earth. Tempel currently has an orbital period of 5.5 years, a
> perhilion
> of 1.5 AU, which is quite near Mars' orbit, and an aphelion that is
> pretty near jupiter orbit.
> 
> This might be a good option for a successful mission to Mars: to
> establish the infrastructure for a mission to Jupiter. An important
> question: what future Tempel 1  perhilions bring it close to Mars
> itself rather than just Mars orbit? Which such encounters bring it
> closest to Jupiter?
> 
> Mike Lorrey
> Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
> "Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
> It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
>                                       -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
> Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com
> 
> 
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Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com


		
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