http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/fof_physics_031126-1.html

Okay, before you say this should go in the space forum, bear with me because my question is one of physics. The article mentions something about being able to get to Mars in a day. Were they just trying to demonstrate the speeds involved, or actually saying this as a feasible plan with this technology.. because, I am wondering.. if you were to have left on this trip back in august (when mars was closest), you'd have to average something like 2,500 km/s (give or take) .. accelerating to a suitable speed and decelerating at a rate that would not kill everyone on board has to be tricky. Does anyone know more on this? The article was a bit sketchy on the details.

Mike

Assuming that you had a propulsion system capable of maintaining a constant thrust of one g, (a big if) you could easily make to to Mars during an opposition. You would simply accelerate for half the trip and decelerate for the other half. (It would actually be a little more complicated than that, as you would have to compensate for the different orbital velocities of Earth and Mars, but the basic principle still applies.

And 1g would be a nice accelereation making the trip seem like an enjoyable day on earth (until the brief period where 'gravity' swicthes and u have to move to the other side of the space ship!

If that wouldn't be one heckuvuh ride! I tell you WHUT!

Originally posted by John Connellan
And 1g would be a nice accelereation making the trip seem like an enjoyable day on earth (until the brief period where 'gravity' swicthes and u have to move to the other side of the space ship!

More likely you would just turn the ship around. Thus you would just have a brief period of weightlessness.

Unless you performed the more complicated "skew flip" where you rotate the ship while still under thrust.

Originally posted by Janus58
More likely you would just turn the ship around. Thus you would just have a brief period of weightlessness.

Unless you performed the more complicated "skew flip" where you rotate the ship while still under thrust.

very true, that wud be a lot easier than having to move everything! :rolleyes: