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cythrust
Research and Development
| Joined: | Fri Feb 27th, 2009 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 31st, 2009 01:25 pm |
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Why future astronauts may be sent to 'gravity holes' (excerpts)
Lagrange points .
Lagrange, or Lagrangian, points are great swathes of space where the gravitational acceleration from the Earth and the sun are exactly equal, letting objects stick there with very little effort.
Because they're far from warm stars and planets, they make useful havens for ultra-cold telescopes that measure fluctuations in the temperature of deep space.
 At certain places in space called Lagrange points, the gravity of two massive bodies cancels out, allowing objects - such as telescopes - to remain 'parked' there (Illustration: NASA)
Enlarge image
The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which measures radiation from the big bang, lives at a Lagrange point called L2 more than 1 million kilometres away. The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, the massive James Webb Space Telescope, will also be sent to the spot, which lies in line with the sun and Earth (see illustration).
Telescope repair "If you look at our list of future space telescope concepts, just about all of them are going to go to L2," says Dan Lester of the University of Texas, Austin, who spoke to the spaceflight review committee in July. "That's going to be a very busy place out there."
... Lagrange points exist in the Earth-moon system, and every other planet in the solar system also boasts Lagrange points with the sun.
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"Going back and forth between Earth-sun Lagrange points and Earth-moon Lagrange points is pretty much a matter of giving the thing a swift kick," Lester told New Scientist. Future astronauts could repair telescopes at a staging area at the nearest Earth-moon Lagrange point and send them sailing back to L2 when they're done. They could also assemble large telescopes or spaceships at the staging area and then send them out to farther-flung destinations.
Going to L2 would take about a month and communications from Earth would take about four seconds to arrive at L2, while a trip to Mars would take at least six months and would involve communications delays of about 20 minutes. NASA could use a Lagrange mission to test technologies needed for a Mars trip – such as life-support systems and ways to protect astronauts from harmful radiation – while remaining in easy contact with Earth.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17713-why-future-astronauts-may-be-sent-to-gravity-holes.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=space
Last edited on Mon Aug 31st, 2009 01:25 pm by cythrust
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