Really interesting orbital mechanics factoid, it takes more energy to send a probe to Mercury than to Pluto:
Really interesting orbital mechanics factoid, it takes more energy to send a probe to Mercury than to Pluto:
a mission intended to reach a stable orbit around the tiny planet of Mercury (with a gravity of just 3.7 m/s^2) therefore requires an enormous amount of energy—more than is required to send a probe to Pluto
I find this quite an odd phrasing, actually. "Send a probe to" can vary wildly between "send a flyby" and "orbit, then land", each requiring drastically different amounts of Δv, depending on the...
I find this quite an odd phrasing, actually. "Send a probe to" can vary wildly between "send a flyby" and "orbit, then land", each requiring drastically different amounts of Δv, depending on the body involved; in fact, in many cases in our solar system, I would expect flying to, then entering orbit around any body, would require more energy than merely flying past most places in the solar system, so this is nothing special.
Also, Berger's comparison of the situation, by comparing surface gravities, is a terribly bad way of characterising the situation; which is why I generally avoid his articles, as he doesn't have much background in the area of spaceflight.
The author phrased it super awkwardly though. The reason it takes so much energy to get to Mercury is because things closer to the sun orbit much faster.
The author phrased it super awkwardly though. The reason it takes so much energy to get to Mercury is because things closer to the sun orbit much faster.
Really interesting orbital mechanics factoid, it takes more energy to send a probe to Mercury than to Pluto:
I find this quite an odd phrasing, actually. "Send a probe to" can vary wildly between "send a flyby" and "orbit, then land", each requiring drastically different amounts of Δv, depending on the body involved; in fact, in many cases in our solar system, I would expect flying to, then entering orbit around any body, would require more energy than merely flying past most places in the solar system, so this is nothing special.
Also, Berger's comparison of the situation, by comparing surface gravities, is a terribly bad way of characterising the situation; which is why I generally avoid his articles, as he doesn't have much background in the area of spaceflight.
The author phrased it super awkwardly though. The reason it takes so much energy to get to Mercury is because things closer to the sun orbit much faster.