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The deadline for the Lunar X Prize is next year, and according to wikipedia one of the teams has a launch contract with SpaceX. Does SpaceX have a rocket capabl
by learc83 11y ago
The deadline for the Lunar X Prize is next year, and according to wikipedia one of the teams has a launch contract with SpaceX. Does SpaceX have a rocket capable of making it to the moon?
- martindevans 11y agoIt looks like a falcon 9 can get payloads to TLI: http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/8511/how-will-the-falcon-9-carry-the-lunar-xprize-rovers-to-the-moon http://space.stackexchange.com/questions/8511/how-will-the-f...
- outworlder 11y agoPlease note that the ability to "making to to <somewhere>" is all about Delta-V. Which varies wildly with payload size.
- LeifCarrotson 11y agoTo be precise, it varies according to the equation: Delta-V = Exhaust velocity x natural log(mass full / mass empty). As the "mass empty" is very dependent on the payload size, it will indeed change a lot!
- maaku 11y agoSee for example, New Horizons: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Horizons
- dr_zoidberg 11y agoFor those too lazy to go read: biggest rocket available + very light probe = very fast travel Another interesting read in this aspect is the Dawn Spacecraft, which had a big delta-v because of its ionic thrusters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_%28spacecraft%29#Propulsion_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_%28spacecraft%29#Propulsi...
- Intermernet 11y agoAs an aside, I'm always pleasantly surprised by how many kids and teenagers know the Tsiolkovsky rocket equation from playing KSP and watching Scott Manley videos!
- ohitsdom 11y agoSpaceX just goes into Earth orbit, the team's job is to get to the moon. At least that's what the FAQ says [0]: > [Part-Time Scientists] will join a commercial space flight, e. g. a rocket launch to orbit. From there, their own lunar lander module will travel to the Moon, the final task being to land safely and release the rover. [0] https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_to_the_Moon/FAQ#How_does_Wikipedia_actually_get_into_space.3F https://meta.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_to_the_Moon/FAQ#...