8 ms·
If by "ride" you mean hitch a lift to somewhere you couldn't get to otherwise, space doesn't work like that. If you want to land on an asteroid/rock, either yo
by dmurray 1mo ago
If by "ride" you mean hitch a lift to somewhere you couldn't get to otherwise, space doesn't work like that.
If you want to land on an asteroid/rock, either you match speed with it, in which case you already had enough speed to go wherever it's going, or you intercept it at a different speed, in which case you get smashed to dust if your speed was any more than a few m/s different.
Maybe you didn't mean this, but it's a common enough misconception. People even on HN were suggesting a spacecraft could hitch a ride on ʻOumuamua to get a quick way to a different solar system.
- deleted 1mo ago[deleted]
- nephihaha 1mo agoI've always thought asteroids could be used as automated "weather stations" with probes not just as mission targets in themselves. These could be updated or maintained occasionally.