🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2821@pt.cs.cmu.edu> jgk@speech2.cs.cmu.edu (Joe Keane) writes:
 >In article <2818@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dep@cat.cmu.edu (David Pugh) writes:
 >>Unfortunately, it is much harder to drop something into the sun than
 >>is it have it orbit Mercury or Venus.  Someone mentioned that the
 >>required delta-V was about 18 kilometers per second.
 >
 >I don't have the necessary data handy, but it should be possible to
 >send something to the sun by shooting it near Mercury (or maybe
 >Venus).  You might have to do some boosting near the planet, but this
 >is much more efficient than trying to do a drop (like in _Aliens_).

Actually, the easiest way (the minimal delta-v orbit) is to do
a flyby past Jupiter (you can get some boost from Mars on the
way if you really want the minimum).  Jupiter has enough mass
to totally cancel the payloads heliocentric momentum and let
it fall right in.  Of course, if you are going to go all the
way to Jupiter, why not let it drop right into the planet?
-- 
If you can't convince |   David Messer - (dave@Lynx.MN.Org)
them, confuse them.   |   Lynx Data Systems
   -- Harry S Truman  | 
                      |   amdahl   --!bungia!viper!dave
                      |   hpda    /

Copyright 1988 David Messer -- All Rights Reserved
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