Here there be Dragons.....

Today the focus is on testing and man-rating the spacecraft. Once operational, it can then assume some of the space repair and refurbishing missions. For example, Hubble could use a repair mission for the inertial wheels. It would also allow a return to the moon. Then there is going anywhere on the globe in about 30 minutes.

Bob Wilson

 

With ETC(SS) approval, we could use this thread for random Space stuff.

There is a lot of that:

Astronauts Swap Harrowing Tales from NASA's Historic Lunar Flights | Space

 

Had no idea they'd gotten into spaceflight.

 

Take off, you hoser!

That was one of their most common phrases. Never realized they actually meant it literally.

 

Satellite in low-earth orbit, 700 kg, revised to many smaller pieces.

India shoots down a weather satellite, declares itself a “space power” | Ars Technica

Only a few nations have done this, and their sense of pride is not universally shared.

 

Analogy stands, to the extent one can hit hypervelocity skeet after traversing a turbulent atmosphere.

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Mostly I wish to discuss Moon. Fifty years of solitude with only diaper bags and other debris left behind is not impressive. There is or soon will be relatively inexpensive means to gently deposit 10 tons (or more) on lunar surface. Low-power microwaves can solidify 'that soil' into bricks. Robotic vehicles can stack bricks up; even better at 1/6 Earth gravity. If more decades pass without Hotel Selene being built, that will not be impressive either.

If costs are too high, it suggests to me that humans are not clever explorers at this juncture. Inspired in part by:

US boots on the Moon in 2024? It won't be easy

 

India shooting was not appreciated by:

NASA: India anti-satellite missile test a 'terrible thing' says chief - CNN

This skeet was in low-Earth circular orbit ~300 km. Hoping it is appreciated that bits go into non-circular orbits. When they bottom out, maybe get caught by atmosphere. When they top out, maybe reach space-station levels and cause bother there.

 

It's not quite like billiards. Impact energy causes disassembly (or perhaps not). Now the 'target' has more energy and moves towards a higher orbit. New kinetic E has been converted to potential E. Target descends and gets its kinetic back, then ascends again. Cycle continues until atmospheric drag intrudes.

 

India is not alone.

A better target would have been an earth-crossing asteroid.

Bob Wilson

 

"A better target..." Um , maybe. Latest info on asteroids is that they (at least some) seem to be loosely held together. Perhaps should not be surprising. Gravity is weak glue unless one has a lot of it.

Hit a rubble pile and create many smaller rubble piles. If all those have non-earth-crossing trajectories, you did well. Otherwise, it was preparation for a fireworks show later.

 

Not the worst intro to orbital mechanics:

Introductory Orbital Mechanics for Dummies — Ryan Spielvogel | SciFi Doc

It stands out for showing no equations.

 

40 Ton Whale Leaps Out Of The Water
40 Ton Whale Leaps Out Of The Water

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Largest earth animal ever (probably) is currently living blue whale. Almost 5 times heavier than humpback above. While blues can move at up to 50 km/hr, physics persists. Blue could get almost 10 meters above sea surface, should an urge come. That is only 1/3 of body length. In other words, a spectacular fail.

Eighty tons of fin whale can do this:

link

Although 40-ton humpbacks make more a habit of it.

mgh = 1/2 mv^2 So the saying goes.

 

Keep in mind that the more non-circular debris orbits with a significantly higher apogee, must also have a significantly lower perigee. That low perigee will bring them down very rapidly, maybe even within a single orbit.

This works only for targets hit in low earth orbit, where there is little margin above the satellite-destroying atmosphere.

 

Just so. India expects its 'dispersion' to self resolve over weeks to months. Meanwhile, ISS drivers will be playing dodge ball.

To all readers, maybe you don't appreciate how great it is to live in pre-Kessler-syndrome times. I much hope that it persists.

 

Kesslerized LEO and MEO satellites simply cannot throw trash at GEO satellites. That's such a very good thing.