8
votes
What capabilities must SpaceX develop prior to the uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in 2026 in order to enable a Mars human landing mission in 2028?
Reliable and reusable Starship and Superheavy.
Rapid turn around of Superheavy and tankers.
Orbital re-tanking.
Long term cryogenic propellant storage in 0g followed by engine restart.
EDL (Entry ...
- 10.4k
6
votes
Does SpaceX have an intended site on Mars?
SpaceX hasn't provided much information on the landing site for of the first Mars mission, so we have to rely on the few hints available so far. One of the main considerations for an early Mars ...
- 6,836
5
votes
Accepted
How long would a space tether on Phobos need to be to exceed earth's escape velocity?
A space tether gives the objects on the tether a speed that depends on the orbital speed of the tether base. Phobos orbits Mars at a speed of 2.138 km/s, on average.
If you want to move at 25 km/s, ...
- 130k
3
votes
How long would a space tether on Phobos need to be to exceed earth's escape velocity?
You've already accepted Hobbes' answer, which is correct as far as I know, and its brevity is admirable. I'm going to belabor some points to touch on some things that were brought up in comments and ...
- 15.4k
2
votes
What were the most inaccurate or accurate things in "The Martian"?
I think there were many problems with how he grew potatoes, but mainly what was in the Martian soil. The soil on Mars contains perchlorates, which are very toxic, even in small quantities, and they ...
- 21
1
vote
Is it practical to extract elements from the salt remnants of Martian oceans and lakes?
Answer: unlikely
For an ore deposit to be economically viable, the element(s) of interest need to be high enough concentration. This usually requires some geologic process to concentrate minerals from ...
- 27.5k
1
vote
Is it possible to use the formula of the thrust equation for a helicopter on Venus?
A good OrderOfMagnitude method for calculating this is the momentum theory method used in this answer.
$$T = C_T \cdot \rho \cdot A \cdot \Omega^2 \cdot R^2$$
If we take $C_T$ identical to that on ...
- 206
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