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To get to outer planets why do we start by going closer to the sun?

sao123

sao123

Lifer
When we want to send a satellite to an outer planet, To get to a solar orbit of higher R than earth, Why would we send the satellite towards the sun first?
 
Just a guess, but I suspect it's to get a better angle on whatever planet they're trying to slingshot off of later. Not all sattelites do this though afaik, I suppose it depends on the alignment of the planets at launch time.
 
well the sun if by far the biggest object in the solar system so you can gain the most speed by sling shot. Without the sling shot, the fuel costs and weight of the satellite would be too prohibitive.
 
Also, if we send items towards the sun we can get an idea of fuel consumtion and try to improve our methods of consuming fuel and improve upon them to take us in the other direction w/out useing up much fuel.
 
I don't fully understand how the slingshotting work...

Does the slighshot actual swing the object a full 180 degrees? If this is the case, then I don't undestand how it is possible due to the laws of conservation of energy.

Altenatively, I can see how it would help if it is less than 90 degrees. It would just be redirecting the object and meanwhile acelerating it.

An I correct is either of these reasoning?
 
But isn't that only if the destination is between the origin and the sun?

As the object approaches the sun, gravity would benefit it. But as it travels away from the sun, wouldn't the sun's gravity be detremental? The only way I can see this helping is if the destination is closer to the sun than it is to the origin.
 
Originally posted by: mjia
I don't fully understand how the slingshotting work...

Does the slighshot actual swing the object a full 180 degrees? If this is the case, then I don't undestand how it is possible due to the laws of conservation of energy.

Altenatively, I can see how it would help if it is less than 90 degrees. It would just be redirecting the object and meanwhile acelerating it.

An I correct is either of these reasoning?
Click to expand...

The way that the slingshot "works" is that it actually moves the planet/sun used for the slingshot by a tiny degree. Since the thing is so massive, by conservation of energy the (much lighter) satellite gains a LOT of kinetic energy in the opposite direction.

I don't think slingshots are usually 180 degrees though...I'm not SURE about this, but I think they're usually less than 90.
 
From my understanding, slingshotting was purely an easy way to adjust an objects trajectory as opposed to firing up your engines to change paths.
 
Originally posted by: TuxDave
From my understanding, slingshotting was purely an easy way to adjust an objects trajectory as opposed to firing up your engines to change paths.
Click to expand...

Naw, you gain speed...link
 
Ok I can see how how we can take advantage of the orbit of planets, but how is the sun used? It can considered to be stationary right (relatively speaking)?
 
Slingshotting is the primary reason why we send objects toward the sun, but don't forget that the outer planets don't have to stay on the same side of the sun as the earth. Sure they're in bigger orbits, but that doesn't mean the sun can't get between us and them - they can be waaay out ther on the other side too.

Daedalux
 
A good example was Cassini

It slingshot Venus, Venus, Earth, and Jupiter to get to Saturn.

This was the ONLY way we could get a probe this size to Saturn. No launch system we have today has enough delta V to fling it straight to Saturn in any kind of reasonable time frame. And it still took 7 years to get there.

Only when Project Promethius (sp?) gets off the ground (nuclear reactor coupled to an Ion drive or VASIMR type plasma drive) will we be able to send probes from earth orbit to the outer planets without slingshots.
 
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