why is atmosphere reentry such an issue? If it is just because of speed hitting the atmosphere why can’t the spacecraft just slow down before and synchronise with earth rotation?
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If your spacecraft has an incredibly powerful motor, then it could be possible to cancel orbital speed (25 000 km/h at ISS altitude) down to about 1600 km/h which would match the rotational speed of the Earth. However, I don’t believe a motor exists that could reduce the speed to such a degree faster than the amount of time it takes for a spaceship to break orbit and start the re-entry. Also, if a spacecraft comes in from another place, or a higher orbit, the speed would be even greater.
I’m willing to bet, without having calculated anything, that a human would not survive the massive deceleration from 25k+ km/h to 1600 km/h in such a short time.
Even if a motor that could perform this feat existed, it would also have to carry enough fuel to complete the operation. We’re not talking about a measly Dragon for that.
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