Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: rjsimmon
Next generation rockets boosted by gravitational assists from two or three planets. Maybe even complementary ion propulsion. It's going to have to be faster than today's spacecraft, that's for sure, if we want to do it in a reasonable amount of time. But it's definitely doable.

My guess is that onboard power for heating, communications, computation, etc., will probably be supplied by rtgs in early missions, a technology we're already quite good at.

6 posted on 05/31/2017 11:32:10 AM PDT by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies ]


To: LibWhacker

Not to the 50 Billion mile mark. It would take close to 100 years to put something that far out. Next and what is quite possibly the killer in this story is retrieving that data. At the speed of light, it would take 75 days to receive the signal. The amount of energy to transmit reliable intelligence across that distance would be immense. Bottom line, what could we gain by such a venture? Since it is, for all practical purposes, impossible for man to sojourn to some distant (potentially) habitable planet, the only reason would be to get the ultimate snapshot.


17 posted on 06/01/2017 4:54:52 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson