New answers tagged design-alternative
2
Thrusters have many components and subsystems directly linked to this ISS: moving them would add more constraints than fixing them and modifying the angle of incidence (like you currently can with gimbals).
In addition, those manoeuvers are relatively rare (a few times a year tops) and monopolizing a tool as useful as the Canadarm would be extremely ...
1
What you are describing is pretty much a space tug. Examining that web page, those which were proposed during the Apollo era had a proper crew compartment, and during the Shuttle era and later were uncrewed. So the answer appears to be "no".
1
Yes this solution can be used, but a large amount of time would be required (how much would depend upon the size of the object, and the amount of energy being delivered).
Most deflection solutions share this same requirement - as much time is possible, and this is the primary driving force behind the development of the early asteroid impact detection ...
0
It’s very impractical. Spacesuits and spacecraft needs cooling to avoid overheating their occupent. Storing or generating heat is counterproductive.
-1
In the realm of theoretically possible but thoroughly impractical, consider that magnetic fields are ubiquitous in space. Charged particles as engine exhaust will follow helical trajectories. Put your collector at a point where the exhaust has traversed half a helical cycle. This transfers momentum to the magnetic field, yielding thrust without expending ...
1
Not practical. There are several problems.
First, what comes out of a rocket's rear end is mostly not even fuel.
Second, the big cloud of fuel you see upon launch is mostly water that prevents the rocket from tearing itself apart with its own shockwaves.
Last, but the most importantly, even if the exhaust was actually a new fuel that combusted with its parts ...
2
If you ever come up with a chemical solution where re-burning exhaust looks look like a good idea, don't build this. It won't work because catching the exhaust cancels out the fuel consumption. It's easier to see when thinking of momentum rather than energy. You've got to leave reaction mass behind.
On the other hand, if you find the chemical solution, the ...
5
Yes it would work.
But no, it would not work very well at all.
If you are going to have the supremely powerful laser array available, you would be better off beaming the asteroid directly. The momentum transferred by boiling off a thin layer of the surface of the asteroid is many magnitudes more effective than using the same laser to accelerate lightsails.
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