Re:The US military is getting serious about nuclear thermal ...
by numpad0 on Monday June 22, 2020 @08:51AM
(#23599590)
The average solar irradiance on Mercury is over 9000W, on Earth about 1400W, on Mars 600W, on Saturn 15W, Pluto 0.87W, per square meter(or per 10ft^2, or per 14 medium sized Pizza). Farther you’re out the sunlight must disperse to a broader area thus gets weaker. Inverse square law you know.
Which means the solar array must be twice as large for same output on Mars alone, and solar propulsion is probably completely infeasible due to weight and volume constraints, if not structural as well, on Saturn orbit and beyond.
For missions further out or for Mars missions that cannot accommodate twice larger wings, we must “carry our own Sun” for power.
Which isn’t wrong at all, after all the Sun is a natural fusion reactor so solar panels aren’t like it’s free of stigmatic nuclear technology.
Oh and also nuclear propulsion aren’t considered chemical by the way...
Which means the solar array must be twice as large for same output on Mars alone, and solar propulsion is probably completely infeasible due to weight and volume constraints, if not structural as well, on Saturn orbit and beyond.
For missions further out or for Mars missions that cannot accommodate twice larger wings, we must “carry our own Sun” for power.
Which isn’t wrong at all, after all the Sun is a natural fusion reactor so solar panels aren’t like it’s free of stigmatic nuclear technology.
Oh and also nuclear propulsion aren’t considered chemical by the way...