Subject:
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Re: Wings [was: Re: Building big]
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.space, lugnet.loc.au
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Date:
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Tue, 19 Jun 2001 20:56:50 GMT
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Viewed:
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6704 times
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Hi Jesse:
In lugnet.space, Jesse Alan Long writes:
> The Apollo space craft were essentially rockets that allowed for humans to
> live inside of them in a small compartment and your fuel was primarily used
> for sending you into outer space and not necessarily down from space. The
> fuel that was left from the trip into outer space provided the protection
> from entering into the atmosphere too fast by using retro rockets but even
> with the use of retro rockets, you were accelerating so fast towards the
> earth that you has to land in the ocean or else you would disentigrate
> either from the heat or the impact on the earth and either way, you would
> die from your trip to the moon.
A distinction must be made between controlled and uncontrolled re-entry.
In the case of the Apollo (and various other pre-shuttle craft) entry was
controlled, to an extent, as you indicate. Of course friction was still
intense, but the Apollo craft didn't drop like a stone to the
Earth--parachutes were used to slow the descent, and even the angle of entry
was calculated to maximize the survivability of re-entry.
> There are two other points that
> you fail to consider and the first point is some of these space craft are
> horribly bulky and therefore not very streamlined in their structure. These
> space craft would be considered very easy targets by their enemies. The
> second point that you failed to consider is if the concept of gravity did
> not exist in space, then what not only holds the planets into their orbits
> but also holds the stars and galaxies in their orbits and makes comets and
> asteroids hurtle through space?
Gravity exists, to be sure, though at small (and to the unaided observer,
undetectable) levels, and indeed it does govern the motion of stellar
bodies. However, the wings that we are discussing, in the manner of
aircraft, provide lift against gravity through the motion of air (or some
similar fluid medium). Wings are therefore not needed--and more importantly
are of no use--in an airless environment such as space. As I believe you
mentioned, space is not a true vacuum, but neither does it have any sort of
atmosphere to support or require wings. If wings were required for motion
through space, then how could asteroids and planets move about?
Regarding the streamlined structure of spacecraft, this would mainly be
necessary for purposes of atmospheric insertion, in which case the vessel
might fly much like an aircraft, or for aesthetics. It might also be
posited that some science fiction phenomenon like "hyperspace" requires a
streamlined craft, but that's obviously just speculation. Regardless, in an
environment with no "up" or "down," such as space, then vessels can engage
in combat front to back, side to side, upside-down, or any other
combination. A streamlined craft would only present a small target for a
head-on attack; seen from overhead, even the B-2 Stealth Bomber is a big vessel!
> The only way that I know of in my mind that
> gravity can not exist is within a scientific laboratory.
? I think you mean that gravity can't be simulated in the lab, but
certainly it exists, or all the microscopes would float away!
Dave!
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Wings [was: Re: Building big]
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| (...) Dave, you are correct in observing a small mistake concerning the rockets. There were parachutes that helped the rockets land in the ocean but even so, in a unique way, the parachute acted not only with but against the retro rockets because (...) (23 years ago, 19-Jun-01, to lugnet.space, lugnet.loc.au)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Wings [was: Re: Building big]
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| (...) The Apollo space craft were essentially rockets that allowed for humans to live inside of them in a small compartment and your fuel was primarily used for sending you into outer space and not necessarily down from space. The fuel that was left (...) (23 years ago, 19-Jun-01, to lugnet.space, lugnet.loc.au)
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