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60sRefugee
60sRefugee  路  last month

Content Warning

@TheScienceFictionGuy I thought the catch was still that when you crunch numbers on the thrust of the system vs. it's mass, you get an acceleration so low it takes just about as long as the Hohmann trajectory you want to replace. To say nothing of spending a month spiraling out through the Earth's Van Allen belts.
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Isaac Ji Kuo
Isaac Ji Kuo  路  last month

Content Warning

@TheScienceFictionGuy @60sRefugee I have read various design studies on arXiv throughout the years, and generally electric propulsion DOES offer benefits. At least if you don't consider any ISRU. ISRU to refuel chemical rockets is a game changer, but one which is not yet flown. (Solar electric propulsion has flown on actual missions.)

Here's one example study:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1502.06457

Basically, assuming no ISRU, then electric propulsion can reduce mission times compared to chemical rockets.

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