All Questions
Tagged with spaceships orbital-mechanics
29
questions
9
votes
3
answers
3k
views
What would it take for a spacecraft to travel to the sun's nadir and stop?
In a science fiction future universe, spacecraft routinely travel from a distance "above" a star's north or south pole to rendezvous with planets orbiting in the star system's orbital plane. ...
- 107
2
votes
3
answers
102
views
Orbital mechanics- 2 objects, different mass same trajectory
I have a multi-ring space station built around an asteroid, but not physically connected. Station has significantly more mass than the asteroid.
As the two approach a star and swing around it, will ...
- 21
4
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How would a spaceship not affected by gravity navigate between planets?
Presume there exists a metal called X-matter that has all the properties of steel, except it is repulsed by normal-matter instead of attracted. (For instance, a block of it would accelerate 9.81 m/s/s ...
- 43
19
votes
9
answers
5k
views
How Does Orbital Warfare Work?
Let's say in the near future(so no fusion drives or anything exotic like that, VASIMR engines are the "best" engines placed on ships, not on expendable weapons), two space ships, armed with ...
- 831
0
votes
5
answers
736
views
If we built spaceships on the Moon, would we have more fuel to burn for trip to Mars [closed]
I read somewhere that a lot of the fuel used for Earth-to-Mars trips is burned up in the first few hours -- leaving Earth's gravity well.
Working on the premise that it takes a whole lot of fuel to ...
- 11
6
votes
7
answers
532
views
Earth-killer challenge
Related to this question. A lot of the discussion there got sidetracked from the question of orbital physics, into questions about alien motives and what the humans would do, so I want to start a new ...
- 8,315
15
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Mechanics of infrequent meteor attacks
There is an Earth-like world, at a level of technology similar to the ancient Romans. Roughly every 20 years, one of the largest, most prosperous cities in this world is annihilated by a meteor ...
- 8,315
13
votes
12
answers
4k
views
Mostly realistic weapons to assault a planet from orbit
I'm looking for a few weapons which I can use to attack a planet from orbit.
I'm not looking to destroy it or make it uninhabitable, just wreck a few things until the occupants stop launching anti-...
- 5,710
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How close an orbit could you get to Earth with a planet-sized object/ship without severely disrupting Earth's orbit?
My idea involves an alien spaceship inside a roughly Earth to Mars sized/massed planet, but the whole planet is displaced when the drive is activated. If you wanted to travel back to our solar system ...
- 64k
3
votes
3
answers
139
views
Object in the orbit or orbiting Uranus's moon Puck
I realize the response to this question is fairly involved but here goes. I need to have an alien spacecraft either in orbit around Uranus's moon Puck or somewhere in Puck's orbit around the planet if ...
- 1,105
7
votes
4
answers
549
views
Would a portal to space enable propulsionless orbital launch
I'm writing a story about a race that has space travel capabilities without rocket technology, instead is using a portal to space and was wondering whether it's possible for them to put something in ...
- 988
8
votes
2
answers
181
views
Calculating an eccentric enough orbit to allow a dip into atmosphere and escape again
How would I calculate if it is possible to have an eccentric enough orbit around a gas giant to dip the periapsis some depth(how deep?) into the atmosphere of a gas giant like Jupiter or Saturn and ...
- 165
3
votes
3
answers
255
views
A planet that cannot be orbited [duplicate]
I'm wondering if it is possible for a planet to be impossible to orbit stably over a significant length of time. The shorter the length of time the planet can be orbited for, the better. It should ...
- 11k
0
votes
1
answer
203
views
Semi-Brachistochrone, Is It Possible?
Would it be possible for there to be an almost torchship (essentially a very, very weak one) which could fly almost brachistochrone trajectories? So instead of a full on brachistochrone, where you ...
- 3,937
9
votes
9
answers
5k
views
Would it be more efficient to build fleets in orbit?
My Dino theme park business didn't end well and I reluctantly fall into depression and decided to go into suspended animation to seek a cure. 200 years later, a lady claims she works with the military ...
- 48k