Re: New Pico2

On Sat, 24 Aug 2024 08:56:12 +0100, Ahem A Rivet's Shot wrote:

Hohmann worked out the details of travel around the solar system
using the computing power in his head and the storage afforded by a
pencil and paper. The computing requirements for space travel are not
that large.

He was only able to come up with “minimum energy” transfer orbits that
went fairly directly from body A to body B. Since then, we have worked out
more complicated low-energy “slingshot” orbits that involve bouncing
around the Solar System to match velocities with difficult-to-reach target
bodies like comets. That required real computing power: there’s no way
anybody could have worked that out with pencil and paper, even with a
slide rule.

And what about “halo” orbits, like at Earth-Moon L2, where the Chinese put
their relay station for maintaining contact with their far-side rover, and
where the James Webb telescope is located? You think you could work out
the right numbers for those without a modern digital electronic computer?
They’re not even properly stable, for a start.

Boeing are busy acquiring a reputation of careless engineering.

True, that. But are they too big to be allowed to fail?