Re:The Damage to Lunar Orbiting Spacecraft Caused by the Eje...
by ericbarrett on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @04:44PM
(#36050626)
Velocity required to reach a 50 km orbit* above the moon's surface is only ~1.6 km/sec, and there's no air resistance to slow dust particles kicked up by the craft.
For Mars, the orbital velocity is ~3.5 km/sec, thus requiring almost 5x the energy for a given mass of detritus (E = 1/2mv^2); and while its atmosphere isn't as thick as Earth's, it'll definitely cause drag for particles going that fast.
* You don't quite need orbital velocity for a plume to get high enough to disrupt an orbiting craft, but it's a handy reference point.
For Mars, the orbital velocity is ~3.5 km/sec, thus requiring almost 5x the energy for a given mass of detritus (E = 1/2mv^2); and while its atmosphere isn't as thick as Earth's, it'll definitely cause drag for particles going that fast.
* You don't quite need orbital velocity for a plume to get high enough to disrupt an orbiting craft, but it's a handy reference point.