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Questions tagged [spacecraft]

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Questions regarding the craft that house humans or equipment during space exploration.

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5
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1answer
113 views

Proposed spacecraft propulsion with particle accelerator

With the new particle acceleration technology of plasma accelerator, electrons or protons can be accelerated to relativistic speed in a device much smaller than current Linac (According to wikipedia, ...
2
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0answers
43 views

Aldrin cycler mission to Mars in MATLAB [closed]

I am planning to do a mission project on Aldrin Cycler (Earth to Mars) in MATLAB. Can you please suggest me where to start. I tried reading few research paper related to this topic, any other advice?
7
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2answers
6k views

How do the movable-neck space suit helmet works?

Looking at Gemini´s spacesuit G-4C I always wonder how did they make the neck joint able to swivel, allowing the user to look at both directions? Wouldnt be easier to make a slightly bigger helmet (i....
16
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10answers
11k views

If a spaceship ran out of fuel somewhere in space between Earth and Mars, does it slowly drift off to the Sun?

Pretty much what the title is saying. I feel like I am missing something fundamental here and this is driving me crazy. Does a spaceship which is out of Earth's gravity drift to the Sun eventually?
5
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2answers
205 views

Does knocking on walls produce a different sound when adjacent to a vaccum?

If I was to knock on a wall or door between a pressurised room and a vacuum, would that sound different from knocking on a wall or door of the same material between two pressurised rooms? If not, ...
2
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1answer
97 views

Were there any spacecraft with nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, but without a system for nitrogen replenishment?

When watching the Vintage Space video Apollo’s Flammable Oxygen Atmosphere Explained, I started to think: was there ever any spacecraft proposed with nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, but without a system ...
-4
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1answer
109 views

How to heat up the inside of a metal ball in space

Ok, they say third times the charm. Say you had a metal ball around 30 feet in diameter. At a distance of 143 million miles from the sun and you were trying to heat the air up inside the ball using ...
2
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1answer
162 views

How to become an astronaut?

I am a pure/applied mathematics student at Tehran University. About 2 or 3 years later I will get my bachelor's degree and start studying master's in applied math or theoretical physics. And maybe I ...
3
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1answer
65 views

Is there potential for Trident to visit a KBO like New Horizons did?

After its flyby of Pluto, New Horizons was also able to visit 486958 Arrokoth achieving secondary scientific goals and providing a picture of a KBO snowman. Could Trident potentially also be able to ...
1
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1answer
140 views

How can the download speed increase from space probes?

It always seems to be a genuine question that is How can we download data from far away probes in instant. When New Horizons reached Ultima Thule, it took us quite a few months to have a great picture ...
8
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1answer
2k views

Are there any photo(s) of International Space Station (ISS) captured from above its altitude? [duplicate]

Are there any attempts made to capture an image of the whole ISS in one take? Or is it not currently practically possible? If Soyuz, SpaceX Dragon, etc. have cameras installed on them, images can be ...
1
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1answer
56 views

Would a space rocket launching from Ceres in a path to Jupiter be faster relatively to the sun than one launching from Earth?

Suppose you have a space rocket which when launching from Earth its speed relatively to Earth it's 11 km/s. For what I've read in another topic in Space SE, the orbital velocity of the planet where a ...
1
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2answers
116 views

what exactly from our ecological system is monitored by satellites?

I know there are some satellites in space that monitor specific things in order for us to be able to forecast the weather. Next to this I would like to know what other elements (mostly related to ...
1
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0answers
48 views

Defining overshoot and undershoot boundary of entry corridor

I have been reading up on the mathematic of atmospheric entry. I have found different methods to theoretically calculate the corridor width but I don't understand how to define the overshoot and ...
4
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2answers
7k views

What is the maximum speed an ion engine can propel a spacecraft at?

I read that with our current ion propulsion technology it is possible we could send a craft moving the maximum of 100km per second, or around 62 miles. However we seem to be limited by how strong of a ...
20
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1answer
1k views

Why did Apollo spacecraft use both AC and DC equipment? Still used in present and future designs?

Why did the Apollo spacecraft use both DC and AC power, requiring heavy inverters? Was it impractical to design everything to run on DC power only? Why? Are both AC and DC power still used in present ...
5
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0answers
221 views

Mars curiosity rover's Maxon drive motors

I am trying to get information on the maxon drive motors on the Curiosity Rover. Does anyone know know what model of DC brushless motors are used what kind of gear speed reducer is used. Is it a ...
1
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2answers
172 views

Will there be torques on spacecraft due to interaction of magnetic torquer with the residual magnetic field of the spacecraft?

Assuming the magnetorquer and the field generating electronics are both rigidly fixed to the spacecraft cube. Reference to any supporting papers/articles would be great. Thanks. Would the residual ...
3
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0answers
54 views

What is the proper terminology for the process of a satellite entering a planet's shadow? [closed]

What is the proper terminology for when a satellite or spaceship passes into a planet's shadow or night side? Is it crossing the terminator? Passing into eclipse (or something better)? If there is a ...
2
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2answers
164 views

Two-body problem VS Three-body problem Applications

The two-body problem deals with two bodies under certain assumptions while the restricted three-body problem deals with three bodies where one has a negligible mass (i.e. spacecraft or comet) I was ...
30
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3answers
5k views

What is the total mass sent into orbit over all history?

I would like to find a good estimate of the sum total amount of payload that humans have put into space, that is, over all years, all space programs, and all types of payload that reached orbit. ...
2
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1answer
119 views

Can reaction wheels be used for detumbling?

During orbit insertion, the satellite can start with a high tip-off rate which requires detumbling. From what I have read, detumbling is usually done using magnetorquers. I was wondering if ...
7
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1answer
499 views

What about Orion ISS missions?

I remember that the Orion spacecraft was a thing when it had its maiden voyage in 2014. Nowadays, all I read about is the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Boeing Starliner, which are both running late. Soyuz ...
2
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2answers
542 views

Do they actually regularly send out people with space ships to spacewalk out and fix broken satellites?

I have an extremely limited understanding on how many people have been "in space" (at least in orbit around Earth) and how many people go there every year/month/week(?). It could be 1 per year or 100 ...
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0answers
39 views

Major topic headings for lunar CubeSat mission design planning?

I am working on a project to design a complete mission for a lunar CubeSat. Assuming that the launch segment is already covered and I need to focus on the spacecraft design. I wanted to know what ...
5
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1answer
257 views

Did the heat shield of the Vostok 1 capsule ablate during reentry?

This Wikipedia article (in german) has some information about the heat shield of Vostok 1. The heat shield was made from asbestos, its thickness was increased from 3 cm to up to 18 cm. The weight of ...
0
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1answer
74 views

Artificial Gravity [closed]

Is it possible to make the artificial gravity for space station to work by using the Permanent Magnet (PM) technology to float/rotate and balance out the inner floor/living quarters to counter-rotate ...
2
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1answer
197 views

Can jet engines be used to launch a rocket?

Following up on my previous question Can a VASIMR Plasma engine be used to launch a rocket?, I was told that VASIMR plasma thrusters are inefficient in an atmosphere. I then had the idea of using jet ...
2
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0answers
123 views

What will be the accuracy of an Atomic (Quantum) Inertial Sensor used in spaceflight?

In relation to the question I was looking for the perfect sensor that would help me achieve perfect non rotating spacecraft. My search made me look for exotic phenomenon that can be utilized for such ...
1
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2answers
88 views

How to use specific impulse for multiple stages

I am given a scenario where I need to create a program to give the initial launch mass of a spacecraft that can vary between 4 and 20 stages. I am given that the "specific impulse for all stages is ...
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4answers
236 views

What exactly makes PHP CLI fundamentally unsuitable to power all the math on board a space craft?

Let's say that there is an eccentric multi-trillionare who made his fortune by coding a very popular service in PHP. He knows it very well, and has such a love for it that he makes a rather unorthodox ...
3
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2answers
139 views

How can I know if NASA Horizons output is measured, calculated, estimated or what-else?

This link allows downloading from NASA Horizons server data about the distance of a body (OSIRIS-REX spacecraft ) from the Sun (see link here): How can I know how the distance is obtained? Is it ...
0
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1answer
76 views

What would be the cost of a thorium reactors at the core of a large starship? [closed]

Thorium is a high power substance that can contains large amounts of energy in a small space. How much would it cost to install and maintain one on a large starship? As well as using solar panels, ...
18
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4answers
4k views

How does a Spacecraft change its orbit?

I am a high school student. I saw the latest Indian spacecraft "CHANDRYAANN 2", which was in orbit around the Earth for 14 days..... I am so curious to know how a spacecraft changes its orbit. I ...
1
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2answers
281 views

What form of Electric Current Powers Spacecrafts - Alternating Current (AC) or Direct Current (DC)?

Almost all spacecrafts launched by humanity consist of electrical components which require electricity to run. Usually, spacecrafts are either powered by a Solar Panel or using Radioisotope ...
6
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1answer
525 views

The aerodynamic stability of the truncated cone shape

Can someone explicate the stability of the truncated cone shape of the reentry vehicle of a spaceship when moving in the atmosphere with its bottom facing forward? It seems counterintuitive that it ...
1
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0answers
89 views

How many Starship launches would it take to build this simple centrifugal space station concept?

Every centrifugal space station design I have seen uses either a large curved material or an inflatable structure. There have been no large scale curved material construction in space and only one ...
4
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0answers
64 views

Spacecraft Inertial Data

I am a developer of motion analytics algorithms. I have been using a 9 Dof strap-down IMU on human and land vehicles for these algorithms. I Would be interested to test my algorithms with IMU data ...
5
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1answer
214 views

What will happen to the rocket exhaust particles fired by spacecrafts?

During the launch, when the rocket is itself yet to attain a stable orbit, the exhaust from the launch vehicle is directed approximately in the opposite direction of its velocity. So, there is no ...
6
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2answers
355 views

Orbital mechanics: Jump from ISS, where will I meet again?

This is a hypothetical question, and I hope it is on-topic here. If an astronaut would stand on the surface of the ISS, and they will make a jump directed perfectly towards the earth, what will their ...
3
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1answer
188 views

When is the PTK NP spacecraft likely to be launched?

The PTK NP spacecraft seems to be the future successor of the Soyuz spacecraft. Does anyone know when the first launch will likely be? The estimates I have seen vary a lot, so what will be realistic?
6
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2answers
690 views

Why isn't LOX/UDMH used in staged combustion rockets now-a-days?

Liquid rockets usually use a propellant pair of fuel and oxidizer. I've seen some rockets from 1960's that used LOX/UDMH as propellant pair but why they are not used any more although it is mentioned ...
4
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0answers
104 views

Help: Specific Quote for Interstellar Spaceship

I know that this quote exists, i just don't know who said it or the specific language. The quote goes something like this: If we ever decided to send a manned spaceship (generational ship) to ...
3
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1answer
407 views

Rover vs pathfinder vs lander?

I am confused in difference between rover and pathfinder and lander I have often read/heard all these three terms when searching/studying about Mars Although all 3 of these are parts of space craft ...
4
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0answers
171 views

Cable lacing in spaceflight, when was waxed cord forbidden?

During the sixties of last century traditional cable lacing was done using a thin cord, traditionally made of waxed linen. The wax should improve knot retention. From NASA-STD-8739-4. Using waxed ...
2
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1answer
102 views

Physical characteristics of Explorer I whip antennas

What was the diameter of Explorer I's whip antennas, and what material were they made of? I am trying to write a simulation of the satellite's spin reorientation. The Smithsonian lists antenna ...
26
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4answers
4k views

When will we send floating probes to Venus?

Recent plans on human missions to Mars have sparked many discussions, one of which is about if we should colonize Venusian upper atmosphere with Zeppelin like floating ships and cities first. NASA ...
22
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8answers
4k views

Puzzler - which spacecraft(s) incorporated real wood structural elements?

Not a trick question, but a real puzzler - which spacecraft or spacecrafts incorporated real wood structural elements?
9
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2answers
2k views

Are there any CubeSats that have been launched into Geostationary (GEO/GSO) or Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO)?

There is one mission by GSFC/NASA - Shields-1 to be launched into GTO. Apart from that I couldn't find any other mission to GTO/GEO. It would be of great help if there is any information on this.
14
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2answers
3k views

Could a complex system of reaction wheels be used to propel a spacecraft?

I was think about different ways spacecraft could feasibly move around and I came across Reaction Wheels as a way they can rotate. So I was curious if a complex system of them could be used to propel ...

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