Re:The Damage to Lunar Orbiting Spacecraft Caused by the Eje...
by zardo on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @05:28PM
(#36051082)
The moon has large enough density variations that you can't analyze low orbits as though it's just a point mass.
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Re:The Damage to Lunar Orbiting Spacecraft Caused by the Eje...
by WalterBright on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @06:16PM
(#36051529)
Yes, I know about the masscons, but it seems highly unlikely they'll be just at the right point. It's hard to believe that any object given a single impulse at ground level, in a vacuum, is not going to hit the moon again in one orbit (unless it is given escape velocity).
Masscons did perturb the Apollo missions enough that they had to switch to a doppler radio to navigate accurately.