POV-Ray : Newsgroups : povray.off-topic : Physics, relativity, quantum, etc. : Re: Physics, relativity, quantum, etc. Server Time
7 Sep 2024 05:09:31 EDT (-0400)
  Re: Physics, relativity, quantum, etc.  
From: scott
Date: 22 Jan 2009 10:16:53
Message: <49788de5$1@news.povray.org>
>  In theory yes. OTOH it still depends on the momentum of the larger 
> object.
> You could get a stronger slingshot from a star of the same mass if it's
> moving faster than the black hole.

Of course, are black holes known for not really having much momentum then 
compared to stars?

>  Yet, this is not as simple as it sounds in any case. The slingshot effect
> is always relative to something. For example interplanetary gravitational
> assist is relative to the Sun. The Sun itself cannot be used for a 
> slingshot
> effect inside the solar system (it could be used for a slingshot relative
> to the galaxy, but not relative to the solar system).

I thought the idea of the slingshot was that you wait until you are at 
maximum velocity near the planet/star and then fire your rockets, firing 
them at this point gives you way more speed than firing them at much lower 
speeds, in effect meaning you need less fuel overall to get somewhere.  I 
didn't think about using movement of planets and stars as a slingshot.

>  With this taken into account, can you just go from Earth to the nearest
> black hole, get an enormous speedup and come back at 100x the speed and
> slam onto Earth at that speed? From a gravity assist only, I don't think 
> so.

No, I think the path would be pretty symetrical, so you would speed up to 
100x as you passed the black hole, then slow back down to the same speed you 
set off with as you approach Earth.  Just like you were orbiting the black 
hole in a non-circular orbit, like a comet orbits the sun.

>  There are also some practical things to take into accout:

Hehe yes I imagined!


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