2007-02-26 12:42:43 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Well, part of the problem is the tremendous cost. Although it takes a little more than a decade now, that's just because NASA relies on the gravitational pull of the planets to propel the craft because the fuel required to get continuous burning, and a craft large enough to hold that much fuel would cost trillions. Otherwise it would only take a couple years.
2007-02-26 12:48:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Previous technology has sent voyager almost to the planet Pluto, but can our current technology send people to Pluto? Probably not due to political and scientific reasons. But if we disregard those reasons and being very hypothetical, the best you can do is send someone on a one way trip to Mar's orbit.
How many years would it take? Probably similar to the timespan it took voyager to reach roughly the area of pluto. Consider that the longest record in space is by the Russians and it is still shorter than the time it took for voyager to reach Saturn.
BTW do you even know the stress in G's to slingshot objects? If you don't even know the principals about the slingshot technique maybe I was wasting my time with this answer.
2007-02-26 20:57:22 · answer #2 · answered by Philip H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The New Horizons spacecraft, launched in January (I think) of 2006 will arrive at Pluto in 2015. A similar craft launched at the appropriate time by a more powerful booster might take less time, but only if the gas giants are in the correct position for a gravity boost. I would guess at best five years right now. A manned expedition will take longer due to the larger size of craft necessary.
2007-02-26 20:49:03 · answer #3 · answered by David A 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We have a probe already enroute to Pluto. It launched on January 19, 2006. It will do a flyby of Pluto in July 2015 after a Jupiter flyby this month (February 28, 2007). So it will take 9.5 years with this trajectory.
2007-02-26 20:51:29 · answer #4 · answered by weglian 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A light-hour (also written light hour) is a unit of length. It is the distance travelled by light in vacuum in one hour. Based on the current definition of the metre a light-hour is equal to 1,079,252,848,800 metres (~1.08 Tm).
This distance can easily be related to the speed of light in kilometres per hour, since light travels 1,079,252,848,800 m every hour, or 1,079,252,848.8 km/h.
To give an example, the semi-major axis of Pluto's orbit's is about 5.473 light-hours
2007-02-26 21:12:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
don't hold your breath, but we are already on the way . and we will be there by 2015.New Horizons that is.
2007-02-27 01:37:40 · answer #6 · answered by paulbritmolly 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋