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Powerful Laser Could Blast Spacecraft to Mars in 3 Days (Video)
Space.com ^
| February 23, 2016
| Shannon Hall
Posted on 02/24/2016 8:12:54 AM PST by Freeport
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I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)
1
posted on
02/24/2016 8:12:54 AM PST
by
Freeport
To: Freeport
Dont need to slow it down, just hop off and parachute in as you fly by.
:)
2
posted on
02/24/2016 8:15:46 AM PST
by
samtheman
(Elect Trump, Build Wall. End Censorship.)
To: Freeport
Slowing it down is easy. It’s doing it and staying in once piece that is hard.
3
posted on
02/24/2016 8:16:38 AM PST
by
Idaho_Cowboy
(Ride for the Brand. Joshua 24:15)
To: Freeport
Powerful Laser Could Blast Spacecraft to Mars in 3 Days QUICK!!! Somebody tell Obama and the Wookie its Air Force One, taking them on another vacation.
Just think, 3 more days, no more Obama...
4
posted on
02/24/2016 8:17:49 AM PST
by
mountn man
(The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
To: Freeport
TO SLOW IT DOWN! ......Reverse rockets in the nose or tail? I thought the same thing, and the current velocity in liquid space formula may have to be revised some what.
5
posted on
02/24/2016 8:20:07 AM PST
by
Bringbackthedraft
(HILLARY 2016 - SERIOUSLY? What are they thinking? Wuff, wuff?)
To: Freeport
I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)
6
posted on
02/24/2016 8:20:35 AM PST
by
mountn man
(The Pleasure You Get From Life, Is Equal To The Attitude You Put Into It)
To: Idaho_Cowboy; Freeport
The sudden stop might be an issue.
7
posted on
02/24/2016 8:23:55 AM PST
by
driftdiver
(I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
To: Freeport
I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)They can just step on the brakes.
8
posted on
02/24/2016 8:24:03 AM PST
by
Wissa
(Gone Galt)
To: Freeport
3 days to Mars, 6 years to return ...
9
posted on
02/24/2016 8:24:55 AM PST
by
PIF
(They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
To: Freeport
I'm sure the mission planners at NASA (in between muslime outreach efforts) have the brains to calculate the retrograde burn necessary to insert the craft into orbit. The gravitational pull of the planet alone might be enough to capture a passing object if it was on the right trajectory and moving at the right speed.
Point is, this has probably occurred to them too.
10
posted on
02/24/2016 8:25:38 AM PST
by
IronJack
To: Freeport
It would make a heck of an impact when it lands.
11
posted on
02/24/2016 8:29:11 AM PST
by
Bubba_Leroy
(The Obamanation Continues)
To: mountn man
Torch ships are an old idea, but they only get thrust in 1 direction.
Ion Drive and Orion Drive (nuke external combustion engine) are also way to move at a high speed but can be used as breaking systems too.
Note the video says “no known reason we cant do this” of course this is not it has not been tested in the real world in the slightest. Mostly this is a pitch for funding and I guess trying to keep the “we can do it” view at NASA.
12
posted on
02/24/2016 8:30:01 AM PST
by
Bidimus1
To: IronJack
They better not mix meters and feet, as in a previous probe attempt, or it will make quite a splash.
13
posted on
02/24/2016 8:32:12 AM PST
by
alpo
(Resist we much)
To: Freeport
99% of science headlines with the word “Could” in them are utter fantasy.
Oceans COULD rise ten feet, etc.
14
posted on
02/24/2016 8:34:44 AM PST
by
MNDude
(God is not a Republican, but Satan is certainly a Democrat.)
To: MNDude
That’s my phrase LOL
Salma Hayek COULD dump her billionaire husband and call me for a date.
15
posted on
02/24/2016 8:36:33 AM PST
by
nascarnation
(RIP Scalia. Godspeed)
To: Freeport
So we can get Mark Watney his food resupply after all...?
16
posted on
02/24/2016 8:36:59 AM PST
by
Jack Hammer
(uff said.)
To: driftdiver
The sudden stop might be an issue.Particularly if the sudden start doesn't kill you.
17
posted on
02/24/2016 8:37:03 AM PST
by
Night Hides Not
(Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Mississippi! My vote is going to Cruz.)
To: Bidimus1
Since this is all theoretical anyway, I suppose that theoretically if we first go to Mars by other means, we could build a station with a laser on Mars to slow the thing down. Then it could be used as a shuttle to go back and forth between Earth and Mars.
Of course, it has been almost 50 years since we first landed on the moon and we have not made a hellofalot of progress on a permanent moon station yet. Assuming the same rate of progress, get back to me in a couple of thousand years and we can discuss actually building the thing.
The only possible use in the meantime would be for sending unmanned probes outside of the solar system. You might be able to send a fly-by probe to Alpha Centauri similar to the Pluto New Horizons probe. Of course, it would be moving too fast to take any usable readings using current technology and it would then have to transmit the data 4 light years back to Earth. Get back to me in a couple hundred years and we can discuss building it.
18
posted on
02/24/2016 8:40:26 AM PST
by
Bubba_Leroy
(The Obamanation Continues)
To: Freeport
Or blast an asteroid out of a collision course with the Earth.
19
posted on
02/24/2016 8:40:28 AM PST
by
Yo-Yo
(Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
To: Freeport
I’m betting there is an E=1/2 mv2 problem here. Someone should calculate E=1/2 mc2 (Yes George, that is c squared not v squared) for a reasonable payload and see what you get.
It takes a lot of energy to get something going at near light speed.
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