Runways on the Moon?

Arthur Smith wrote,

"I assume the plan was to dig down into that and drag through it in some
fashion, which is very much like using a fluid, except the particle sizes
are mostly micro- rather than nano-meters."

This is just a tidbit, I don't know how useful, but it seems similar to the
issue of this thread :
The U.S. Navy has a great depth of experience (no pun intended) in pulling
objects through fluid with a cable. The RH-53D helicopter is often tasked
with pulling sonar equipment through the water that is attached via cable
to the helicopter. They listen for subs in this manner. I bet a lot of
mechanical engineering modeling has been done regarding the dynamics of the
helicopter, the shape of the sonar equipment, the drag, etc. Real tough
on the helicopter...

Ron Menich

Arthur Smith
ssi_list@...
apsmith@...
aps.org

09/10/01 04:43
PM
Please respond
to ssi_list

>
> In response to "Those are the rules for static frictional forces on an
> object (i.e.. when
> the object and the surface causing friction are at rest relative to one
> another)..." I say that what I used is the theory for kinetic, not
static,
> friction, but try an experiment and pull a rope or chain with a spring
> scales and you will see. And I don't understand why one would propose
using
> the rules for fluids since this is about the Moon's surface. Sincerely,
Jay

The lunar surface is covered pretty much everywhere by several meters
worth of essentially loose "soil" (albeit with a few larger rocks
interspersed, and quite tightly packed beyond about 30 cm depth) - I
assume the plan was to dig down into that and drag through it in some
fashion, which is very much like using a fluid, except the particle
sizes are mostly micro- rather than nano-meters.

Arthur