5 ms·

A well characterized black hole in our solar system would be our (one way) ticket out of here. The velocity we could gain would be limited to the vessel integri

by tejtm 6y ago

A well characterized black hole in our solar system would be our (one way) ticket out of here. The velocity we could gain would be limited to the vessel integrity. And thanks to math, being able to choose approach trajectories means we could go anywhere. Well worth looking real hard just in case it does exist.

tqkxzugoaupvwqr 6y ago
The object is theorized to have between 5 and 10 times the mass of Earth. Jupiter has circa 1000 times the mass of Earth. Wouldn’t Jupiter be suited much better for slingshots?
- Craighead 6y ago
  Why not both?
- tejtm 6y ago
  The thought is you can use so much more of a black holes gravitational potential (without hitting it) that that it would not matter that the total mass is smaller. But I am just a tourist here, this is not my expertise.
T-A 6y ago
Assuming that you're thinking of the Oberth effect, it's no miracle worker. In the (non-relativistic) impulsive burn approximation you gain a speed factor sqrt(1 + 2*v_escape/delta_v) [1]. With v_escape = c and delta_v = 10 km/s that's a factor 245, for a final speed of 2450 km/s. That will get you to Alpha Centauri in 535 years. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect
- Craighead 6y ago
  Can this be chained with other bodies in the solar system?
- tejtm 6y ago
  Alas I am not well enough educated on the subject to have ever come across that particular term. (I do wish KSP was available on *nix) And I do see your point as it pertains to solid matter. How ever as a layperson I am at least vaguely aware that there are hyper velocity stars, some observed w/delta-v close to 10% of C if memory serves ... Which would indicate to me that having a gravity well we can delve arbitrarly deep into has profound implications compared to gravity wells where it you go too deep you run into clouds or dirt. For example the vessel could be paired, co-orbiting with a sacrificial mass that is dumped into the hole while the vessel leaves at at factor greater than a few hundred.
  - T-A 6y ago
    The fastest hypervelocity star I can find with a quick bit of googling is S5-HVS1, at 1700 km/s [1], slower than the hypothetical black-hole-accelerated ship example. You can't delve arbitrarily deep into a black hole's gravity well if you want to get something back; you need to stop at the horizon, where the escape velocity equals light speed. Dumping sacrificial mass into the hole is built into the Oberth effect scenario: the ship's extra speed (relative to the hole) is matched by a lower speed for the ejected reaction mass, which therefore falls toward the hole. I suppose you could imagine something like a circular accelerator built around the hole and powered by dropping masses into it. [1] https://newatlas.com/space/fastest-star-hypervelocity-ejected-milky-way/ https://newatlas.com/space/fastest-star-hypervelocity-ejecte...

by tejtm 6y ago

tqkxzugoaupvwqr 6y ago

The object is theorized to have between 5 and 10 times the mass of Earth. Jupiter has circa 1000 times the mass of Earth. Wouldn’t Jupiter be suited much better for slingshots?

Craighead 6y ago
Why not both?
tejtm 6y ago
The thought is you can use so much more of a black holes gravitational potential (without hitting it) that that it would not matter that the total mass is smaller. But I am just a tourist here, this is not my expertise.

T-A 6y ago

Assuming that you're thinking of the Oberth effect, it's no miracle worker. In the (non-relativistic) impulsive burn approximation you gain a speed factor sqrt(1 + 2*v_escape/delta_v) [1]. With v_escape = c and delta_v = 10 km/s that's a factor 245, for a final speed of 2450 km/s. That will get you to Alpha Centauri in 535 years. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberth_effect

Craighead 6y ago
Can this be chained with other bodies in the solar system?
tejtm 6y ago
Alas I am not well enough educated on the subject to have ever come across that particular term. (I do wish KSP was available on *nix) And I do see your point as it pertains to solid matter. How ever as a layperson I am at least vaguely aware that there are hyper velocity stars, some observed w/delta-v close to 10% of C if memory serves ... Which would indicate to me that having a gravity well we can delve arbitrarly deep into has profound implications compared to gravity wells where it you go too deep you run into clouds or dirt. For example the vessel could be paired, co-orbiting with a sacrificial mass that is dumped into the hole while the vessel leaves at at factor greater than a few hundred.
- T-A 6y ago
  The fastest hypervelocity star I can find with a quick bit of googling is S5-HVS1, at 1700 km/s [1], slower than the hypothetical black-hole-accelerated ship example. You can't delve arbitrarily deep into a black hole's gravity well if you want to get something back; you need to stop at the horizon, where the escape velocity equals light speed. Dumping sacrificial mass into the hole is built into the Oberth effect scenario: the ship's extra speed (relative to the hole) is matched by a lower speed for the ejected reaction mass, which therefore falls toward the hole. I suppose you could imagine something like a circular accelerator built around the hole and powered by dropping masses into it. [1] https://newatlas.com/space/fastest-star-hypervelocity-ejected-milky-way/ https://newatlas.com/space/fastest-star-hypervelocity-ejecte...