3 ms·

The time to think of replacements has long passed, not to fly by the outer planets, but to achieve a greater velocity than the Voyagers and continue exploring t

The time to think of replacements has long passed, not to fly by the outer planets, but to achieve a greater velocity than the Voyagers and continue exploring the interstellar medium. Some other comments here mentioned the tech to do that: - ion propulsion - light sail And also nuclear fission might be an option, I like the fission fragment idea for its simplicity. [1][2] [1] https://www.nasa.gov/general/aerogel-core-fission-fragment-rocket-engine/ https://www.nasa.gov/general/aerogel-core-fission-fragment-r... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fission-fragment_rocket

svachalek 3y ago
This is a fun option too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot
- praveen9920 3y ago
  I guess this is what started “space laser weapon” conspiracy.
science4sail 3y ago
A nuclear salt-water rocket[3] made using weapons-grade uranium should easily have a delta-V of 1.5% lightspeed and an acceleration above 10G; it would be great for exploring the Kuiper belt and/or performing another Grand Tour on a human timescale. [3] https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist2.php#id--Nuclear_Thermal--Gas_Core--Open_Cycle--Nuclear_Salt_Water https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist2.ph...
kibwen 3y ago
> The time to think of replacements has long passed, not to fly by the outer planets, but to achieve a greater velocity I wouldn't quite go that far, we'll have another chance at the grand tour in another 129 years, and those planetary flybys (and the associated gravity assists) are precisely what gave the Voyagers all that speed to begin with.
schiffern 3y ago
The new hotness right now is dynamic soaring across the heliopause with a solar ion 'wing.'[0] Supposedly this can achieve 2% c, in the same way RC gliders use dynamic soaring to achieve speeds far in excess of the wind speed.[1] [0] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frspt.2022.1017442/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frspt.2022.1017... [1] (headphone warning) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eFD_Wj6dhk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eFD_Wj6dhk

svachalek 3y ago

This is a fun option too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot

praveen9920 3y ago
I guess this is what started “space laser weapon” conspiracy.

science4sail 3y ago

A nuclear salt-water rocket[3] made using weapons-grade uranium should easily have a delta-V of 1.5% lightspeed and an acceleration above 10G; it would be great for exploring the Kuiper belt and/or performing another Grand Tour on a human timescale. [3] https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist2.php#id--Nuclear_Thermal--Gas_Core--Open_Cycle--Nuclear_Salt_Water https://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/enginelist2.ph...

kibwen 3y ago

> The time to think of replacements has long passed, not to fly by the outer planets, but to achieve a greater velocity I wouldn't quite go that far, we'll have another chance at the grand tour in another 129 years, and those planetary flybys (and the associated gravity assists) are precisely what gave the Voyagers all that speed to begin with.

schiffern 3y ago

The new hotness right now is dynamic soaring across the heliopause with a solar ion 'wing.'[0] Supposedly this can achieve 2% c, in the same way RC gliders use dynamic soaring to achieve speeds far in excess of the wind speed.[1] [0] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frspt.2022.1017442/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frspt.2022.1017... [1] (headphone warning) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eFD_Wj6dhk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eFD_Wj6dhk