[extropy-chat] Pluto New Horizons launch -getting ready

[spike]

________________________________________
From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Russell Wallace
...

...A relativistic projectile would certainly turn into plasma as soon as it
hit atmosphere; I'm guessing there wouldn't be time for the plasma to
disperse much, though, and would stay in a reasonably concentrated beam,
making a single crater...


Ja I don't know how to calculate that.  It would only be in the atmosphere
for about a millisecond.  perhaps it would form a shock wave of such
intensity that elements would be fused to iron on the leading edge.  This is
so far out on the scales that engineers are accustomed to working, we may
not be able to trust our usual models.



... the usual nervous nellies didn't like the idea of this enormous spear
possibly going off course and accidentally punching a hole reactor of the
Springfield nuclear power plant, or the Vatican, the local elementary
school, that kinda stuff. {8^D

Spoilsports :P That sounds fun! Though AFAIK such a weapon would be of
doubtful utility...



Ja it wasn't really a weapon but rather an experiment designed to increase
the understanding of very high speed impacts.  It was one of those stunts
you always wanted to pull, especially if you can get someone else to pay for
it.  If you have ever watched Mythbusters, it would be a very high power
version of the stunts they like to do.  (Isn't Mythbusters a cool show?
Those guys are locals, out of Mountain View I think.)




...You could try aerobraking, but that's a tricky maneuver and there's the
question of whether there'll still be enough atmosphere not yet frozen out
by the time the probe gets there. A flyby was the best option for this
mission, given the time and budget constraints.  - Russell...


I did the alpha*T^4 calculation and saw that the radiation equilibrium
temperature on Pluto is about 45K.  At the pressures I expect on a body that
size and that temperature, everything is solid except helium and hydrogen,
neither of which would be much use for aerobraking.  We may need to fall
back on the good old Hohmann transfer orbit, and wait out the 62 years.  How
many of you guys are young enough to be still here in
twenty-seventy-something?  I probably won't be, but Isaac Jones likely will.
{8-] 

spike