3 ms·
Please note that the ability to "making to to <somewhere>" is all about Delta-V. Which varies wildly with payload size.
by outworlder 11y ago
Please 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!