lunar poles, orbits, trajectories

From: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dan Wylie-Sears

> The way I'm trying to visualize it, it looks as though
> excess speed at launch would have a more complicated
> effect. The only thing I can think of that just has
> that simple effect would be exerting a force in the
> direction of motion at perilune.

Actually, what we need is a force applied at apilune. Forces applied to
an orbit in the direction of motion have the affect of raising the orbit
on the opposite side of the body orbited. And one inevitable
consequence of launch from the lunar surface would be that perilune
would be at the location of the launcher.

So we would need two launchers, on opposite sides of the moon. And I'm
not even sure that would work. I'm thinking a trajectory with extra
energy would be a higher trajectory which would pass over the orbit
being aimed at, rather than what I think you're visualizing which is a
trajectory passing through the orbit with excess velocity. But like
you, I'm not equipped to do the math.

But why are we working so hard to make catchers in relatively low lunar
orbits work in the first place? Unless our market is in low lunar orbit
(unlikely, I would think) we should ideally be wanting to use our EM
launcher to get our payloads as far up the lunar gravity well as
possible. The L-2 point is pretty high up on the moon-Earth gravity
well.

I say stick with plan "A". For one thing, it's been through the
peer-review process.

Regards,

Mike Combs