By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close

Forums - General Discussion - First mission to bring back samples from the moon since 1976 started successfully

Tagged games:

SvennoJ on 25 November 2020
Mnementh said:
Nighthawk117 said:

Yes, the NERVA program ended around 1970.  They had the Prometheus program in the 80s or 90s.  Not sure what the new name is now.

You don't want a nuclear powered rocket to get you off the Earth - hell people are scared enough of RTGs.  You want chemical rocket engines to get you off the Earth, but to go from Earth orbit to deep space, a nuclear powered engine is far away, the most efficient way to travel.

Are you sure? The main reason it takes so long to get to Mars is, that the probes aren't under full thrust the whole time. Because fuel would be needed, which in turn would need to be accelerated at first which needs more fuel to accelerate all the fuel. I don't see how nuclear propellants solve that problem.

If I look here, I see the proposed nuclear rocket engines, they are hypothetical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_engine#Nuclear

You need a lot less nuclear fuel to go the distance, thus you take a lot less weight.

From google:
One uranium fuel pellet (about 10 grams) creates as much energy as one ton of coal, 149 gallons of oil or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

You can be under full thrust until the halfway point and reverse



Around the Network
Mnementh on 25 November 2020
SvennoJ said:
Mnementh said:

Are you sure? The main reason it takes so long to get to Mars is, that the probes aren't under full thrust the whole time. Because fuel would be needed, which in turn would need to be accelerated at first which needs more fuel to accelerate all the fuel. I don't see how nuclear propellants solve that problem.

If I look here, I see the proposed nuclear rocket engines, they are hypothetical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_engine#Nuclear

You need a lot less nuclear fuel to go the distance, thus you take a lot less weight.

From google:
One uranium fuel pellet (about 10 grams) creates as much energy as one ton of coal, 149 gallons of oil or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

You can be under full thrust until the halfway point and reverse

You need some propellant. That you will lose in the effect. That is some advantage of chemical fuels: the exhaust gases are used as propellant. For nuclear rockets you need to take some gas with you, which will be heated to expand and propel the rocket.



3DS-FC: 4511-1768-7903 (Mii-Name: Mnementh), Nintendo-Network-ID: Mnementh, Switch: SW-7706-3819-9381 (Mnementh)

my greatest games: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

10 years greatest game event!

bets: [peak year] [+], [1], [2], [3], [4]

SvennoJ on 26 November 2020
Mnementh said:
SvennoJ said:

You need a lot less nuclear fuel to go the distance, thus you take a lot less weight.

From google:
One uranium fuel pellet (about 10 grams) creates as much energy as one ton of coal, 149 gallons of oil or 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas.

You can be under full thrust until the halfway point and reverse

You need some propellant. That you will lose in the effect. That is some advantage of chemical fuels: the exhaust gases are used as propellant. For nuclear rockets you need to take some gas with you, which will be heated to expand and propel the rocket.

It all depends on the velocity of the exhaust. Ideally you shoot out particles at near relativistic velocities and collect them on the way (Bussard ramjet)

Nuclear gas rockets are more efficient than liquid hydrogen plus liquid oxygen anyway. I imagine fuel / propellant for the way back will be send ahead to refuel at Mars.



curl-6 on 26 November 2020

I really hope we get to Mars and start taking some more series steps forward in terms of space travel in my lifetime.
While some cool stuff has been done in my life like probe missions to Jupiter and Saturn's moons and rovers on Mars, it's going too slowly for my liking.

Last edited by curl-6 - on 26 November 2020

Mnementh on 27 November 2020
curl-6 said:

I really hope we get to Mars and start taking some more series steps forward in terms of space travel in my lifetime.
While some cool stuff has been done in my life like probe missions to Jupiter and Saturn's moons and rovers on Mars, it's going too slowly for my liking.

There basically was a 40 year gap in space travel. Just recently things got picked up again. So recently we had: multiple mars rovers, first mission to a comet, first mission to the backside of the moon. Also a lot of stuff that wasn't done since many years got recently on course, like again a bigger spaceship to the ISS, so that it can operate with full manpower again soon and this one to get moon soil samples back. Also we have way more participants in the space right now, not only the US and Russia. So that all looks promising.



3DS-FC: 4511-1768-7903 (Mii-Name: Mnementh), Nintendo-Network-ID: Mnementh, Switch: SW-7706-3819-9381 (Mnementh)

my greatest games: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

10 years greatest game event!

bets: [peak year] [+], [1], [2], [3], [4]

Around the Network
curl-6 on 27 November 2020
Mnementh said:
curl-6 said:

I really hope we get to Mars and start taking some more series steps forward in terms of space travel in my lifetime.
While some cool stuff has been done in my life like probe missions to Jupiter and Saturn's moons and rovers on Mars, it's going too slowly for my liking.

There basically was a 40 year gap in space travel. Just recently things got picked up again. So recently we had: multiple mars rovers, first mission to a comet, first mission to the backside of the moon. Also a lot of stuff that wasn't done since many years got recently on course, like again a bigger spaceship to the ISS, so that it can operate with full manpower again soon and this one to get moon soil samples back. Also we have way more participants in the space right now, not only the US and Russia. So that all looks promising.

That's true I suppose; in the last 20 years we've also had the first re-landable rocket, first rover on an asteroid, and first encounter with Pluto. It's manned exploration I wish would pick up the pace. Like I say, it'd be awesome to put a human on Mars in the next few decades at least. One can hope I suppose.



curl-6 on 29 November 2020

Speaking of future missions here's one I'm excited about; the Dragonfly program, launching in 2026, aims to put an aerial drone on Titan in 2034, where it will search for signs of life.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-dragonfly-will-fly-around-titan-looking-for-origins-signs-of-life



Mnementh on 02 December 2020

Updated OP with images from landing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB-XVNyT1Lk



3DS-FC: 4511-1768-7903 (Mii-Name: Mnementh), Nintendo-Network-ID: Mnementh, Switch: SW-7706-3819-9381 (Mnementh)

my greatest games: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

10 years greatest game event!

bets: [peak year] [+], [1], [2], [3], [4]

Nighthawk117 on 03 December 2020

Here's an image from the lander.

Also, the return capsule, at the top of the lander, blasted off today to meet up with the orbiter.  If that goes well, then both will head back home.



curl-6 on 03 December 2020
Nighthawk117 said:

Here's an image from the lander.

Also, the return capsule, at the top of the lander, blasted off today to meet up with the orbiter.  If that goes well, then both will head back home.

It's so weird, and cool, seeing the moon's surface in crisp high definition compared to the grainy 1960s/70s footage from the Apollo missions we're used to seeing it in.