3 ms·
I've had this smae idea many times! I really think its feasible but I can't do the math* either :-( I've come to think there are many ways to reach orbit with
by tocomment 15y ago
I've had this smae idea many times! I really think its feasible but I can't do the math* either :-(
I've come to think there are many ways to reach orbit with our current levels of technology but it's just too expensive to do the R&D.
* I actually got suck on figuring out the helium required because everytime you add more helium it adds more weight which requires more helium and so on. It must need some kind of complex differential equation.
- skytrail 15y agohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation Delta-V = v_exhaust * ln( mass_initial / mass_final )
- rbanffy 15y agoIt's bit more complicated than that. The balloon lift will decrease with pressure, which will decrease with altitude but so will aerodynamic drag. Ion engines design for satellite operation also prioritize low reaction mass usage and I am not sure the low thrust is a hard limit or a design choice. The device could also use vertical thrust to compensate for the loss of lift and then gradually rotate until it reaches orbital speeds. It's probably impossible with current propulsion technology, but it would be useful to have a number when it starts to be possible.