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I don't think it can just be a "gentle" nudge, it is a massive body and must need a rocket-level thrust to do so, but really, I agree with the idea. Why not? D
by fernandopj 5y ago
I don't think it can just be a "gentle" nudge, it is a massive body and must need a rocket-level thrust to do so, but really, I agree with the idea. Why not?
Dock a custom Dragon with thrust capabilities, put in a higher, more stable orbit. Doesn't even has to be circular, just so we can visit it in the near future.
- 4gotunameagain 5y agoWell in theory it could even be done with the station keeping capable modules, a very gentle push indeed, it would just take time and maybe refueling..
- gameswithgo 5y agoPretty sure you can ion thruster it if you are patient
- _Microft 5y agoIf I remember correctly, a constant thrust of only 5 Newton (for comparison that’s the weight of a mass of 0.5kg on Earth) would be enough to counteract drag of the atmosphere on the ISS. That’s in the range of an electric propulsion systems like VASIMR that is under active development. Any higher thrust than that would automatically lead to orbit raising.
- iso1210 5y agoProgress can boost because it docks on Zvezda. Dragon doesn't, so you'd need a new docking method. There was a proposal to use a VASIMR ion engine as an experiment to boost ISS, but that proposal was dropped a few years back. Had it been kept and worked then perhaps it could have worked, but it used a lot of electricity to do so