How the hell did it travel such a long distance?
In: Earth Science
To go a little deeper than most posts here-
Rocket performance is measured in delta v, or change on velocity, of you compare two different tickets on the launch pad the one with the higher deltav will go further,but the only time you use up dV is when you change speed, the places that use the most dV are launches, to reach low orbit might require 9000m/s + dV but to go from low orbit to escape needs only an aditional 4000,but to go from escape to intersecting mars, for example needs under 1000 more, an asteroid as an object with little mass has no gravity to contend with reletivly speaking so if you aim your trajectory to come close and then match speed you’re sorted. An interesting point about dV though is the lighter your ship the less fuel you need for the same dV, because dV = change in velocity the more mass you have the lower your acceleration for the given constant that is your burn duration which means you don’t get as fast, so 1000dV at launch might be several hundred tonnes of fuel but 1000dv for the final probe might be a few hundred kilos instead. Also return strips generally take alot less fuel cod a) you’re lighter and b) you can slow the insane speed of interplanetary orbits using the earth’s atmosphere so 15000m/s dV going up is basically a free ride home, without air tho every bit of speed you put in at one point must be counteracted later to return
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