- #1
awygle
- 13
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This is something I've wondered for some time. Our spaceships need all this ablative heat shielding because they slam into the atmosphere at ludicrous speeds, thereby generating a ton of friction and heat. Wouldn't it make more sense to slow down first?
There is an orbit where the speed of the spaceship keeps it moving at the rotational velocity of the Earth times its height above sea level - geosynchronous orbit. But orbital speed is determined by centripetal force. So could a spacecraft use its engines to exert a force so that it was going in an orbit at the height at which atmospheric drag becomes a problem moving at [tex]\varpi_{E}*(R_{E} + h_{d})[/tex], where [tex]h_{d}[/tex] is the height at which atmospheric drag becomes noticeable? In this situation, the difference in velocity between the atmosphere and the ship would be very low, and the usual massive amounts of friction and heat would not be generated.
Is this plausible? If so, why don't spacecraft use this method?
There is an orbit where the speed of the spaceship keeps it moving at the rotational velocity of the Earth times its height above sea level - geosynchronous orbit. But orbital speed is determined by centripetal force. So could a spacecraft use its engines to exert a force so that it was going in an orbit at the height at which atmospheric drag becomes a problem moving at [tex]\varpi_{E}*(R_{E} + h_{d})[/tex], where [tex]h_{d}[/tex] is the height at which atmospheric drag becomes noticeable? In this situation, the difference in velocity between the atmosphere and the ship would be very low, and the usual massive amounts of friction and heat would not be generated.
Is this plausible? If so, why don't spacecraft use this method?
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