🚀 go-pugleaf

Carl J Lydick (carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU) wrote:
> In article <1992Oct30.153103.29953@pixel.kodak.com>, dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones) writes:
> >One day, I'm going to sit down and work out if Asimov's Martian Way really
> >would have worked....soft land a chunk of Saturns Rings on Mars, when just
> >getting into Earth orbit takes 90% of your starting mass?  Hmmm....... 
> 
> Ah, but if you aerobrake to get into a nearly circular orbit and use your
> spacefaring iceberg for reaction mass in your descent, then you don't CARE if
> you use up 100% of it in soft-landing it.  After all, you've now got it in the
> Martion atmosphere, where it would've ended up had you soft-landed 100% of the
> mass (unless, of course, you increase the Martian atmospheric pressure
> considerably).

Good point.  However, Asimov had them soft-landing it using their "micropile
driven steam jets", and that's what needs to be addressed!

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