Re: NASA gets SGI 2048-core Itanium 2 supercomputer
- From: "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:51:34 -0500
Sebastian Hanigk wrote:
david20@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Voyager is hardly doing much in the way of fast manoevering - If
something were about to hit it the controllers would need a lot of
notice if they wanted to move out of it's way.
Correct. I simply took Voyager as an example of a remote controlled
spacecraft.
On the other hand, larger bodies which could pose a threat would be
comets, their orbits can be predicted and they do not simply pop up;
against smaller bodies like micrometeorites, shielding should suffice.
They even reprogrammed the whole system for the (I
think) Saturn fly-by.
You are talking about making changes on a leisurely voyage that is something
which can be controlled even with the large lags. It's dealing with the
unexpected which becomes a problem.
See above. On a Earth-Mars or Moon-Mars voyage, navigational
unpredictabilities which could be solved on-board wouldn't be existent;
the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter would be much more interesting.
(I think that there have also been a few losses when they have uploaded the
wrong commands to other spacecraft).
I would have to read up on that, in software engineering, we mostly
talked about the prominent mishaps like the lost Mars mission.
I'm pretty sure the Mars Direct Mission proposal involved a combination of Aerobraking to slow down into Mars orbit followed by a descent utilising
parachutes and rockets. I don't think that posed any serious problems.
The problem with Mars - if I recall correctly - is it's combination of
larger gravity and very thin atmosphere. Parachutes for larger vehicles
than the rover delivery systems were deemed unfeasible while the
necessery propulsion mass (rocket fuel) for a controlled and gentle
landing maneuver would be too much.
I have to concede that I'm argumenting here from the top of my head; the
papers and articles my reasoning is built upon were from a few months
ago ... If you have some references I would be glad to read them!
However after the first landing you would be able to just manufacture fuel from the martian atmosphere (you require some hydrogen to either be shipped to Mars as in the mars direct Plan - or extracted from local water). Then if necessary you can blast it into orbit for later arriving ships to refuel with before landing.
Interesting plan. Perhaps coupled with a Mars orbiting space station you
could have some kind of lightweight transport shuttle service from the Moon to
Mars and a set of reusable landing craft for the Mars descent.
Note that Mars has two small moons. Either one could act as a "substrate" for some sort of orbital habitat. That might help cut shipping and construction costs.
.
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