Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by sp332 on Thursday July 28, 2022 @10:48AM
(#32265077)
For this mission, you don't need to slow down or stop. Just keep taking image data starting at 548 AU and keep going until you're at 900 AU.
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by Cerium on Thursday July 28, 2022 @10:59AM
(#32265250)
I thought you have to move laterally to get the pixels? "The data are acquired pixel-by-pixel while moving an imaging spacecraft within the image."
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by samus on Thursday July 28, 2022 @02:14PM
(#32268170)
You can already do that while slowing down. Might require some image correction though to account for that in the pictures.
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by tokamak-teapot on Thursday July 28, 2022 @11:02AM
(#32265310)
With a solar sail you can just start tacking, right?
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by tgarv on Thursday July 28, 2022 @12:24PM
(#32266507)
I think a solar sail mostly works at a broad reach or a run, so it would be more of a jibe than a tack ;)
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by klyrs on Thursday July 28, 2022 @03:05PM
(#32268795)
I don't know anything about sailing but doesn't tacking depend on some sort of keel?
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by Sharlin on Thursday July 28, 2022 @03:21PM
(#32268986)
With a solar sail you can "tack" by reflecting photons against your tangential velocity – but that only works if the tangential component is indeed what you want to shed. Getting rid of radial velocity is more difficult, and in a hyperbolic (escape) orbit radial is mostly what you have.
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by KineticLensman on Thursday July 28, 2022 @01:22PM
(#32267479)
Probably not at 540 AU. Not many photons out there for the solar sail to grip.
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by aporetics on Thursday July 28, 2022 @08:08PM
(#32271586)
Lol, nice
Re:Mission to reach and operate at the focal region of the s...
by perihelions on Thursday July 28, 2022 @09:14PM
(#32271998)
Can't you use the same lens to focus the propulsion laser?
You'd need to carry a deployable/detachable mirror with you to reflect the laser back at the craft, but that mirror itself would also get accelerated further out, which means having to correct for that, etc., etc.