xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”

[Lynn McGuire]

xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”
https://xkcd.com/2909/

Explained at:

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles

Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.

Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

Lynn

[Paul S Person]

On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:03:02 -0500, Lynn McGuire

xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”
https://xkcd.com/2909/
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles
Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.
Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

[Cryptoengineer]

Post by Paul S Person
On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:03:02 -0500, Lynn McGuire

Post by Lynn McGuire
xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”
https://xkcd.com/2909/
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles
Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.
Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

The Earth-Moon Roche limit is 9600 km, center to center, or about 2000
km surface to surface.

Any closer, and the moon would break up.

At that height, the moon would orbit in about five and a half hours.

Effects on the tides would be noticeable, about 1600x larger than now.

pt

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Paul S Person
On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:03:02 -0500, Lynn McGuire

xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”
https://xkcd.com/2909/
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles
Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.
Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

The Earth-Moon Roche limit is 9600 km, center to center, or about 2000
km surface to surface.
Any closer, and the moon would break up.
At that height, the moon would orbit in about five and a half hours.
Effects on the tides would be noticeable, about 1600x larger than now.

The constant eclipses would be interesting but it would mess up the FM radio
band with over the horizon reflections.
--scott

[Paul S Person]

On Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:14:32 -0400, Cryptoengineer

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Paul S Person
On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:03:02 -0500, Lynn McGuire

xkcd: “Moon Landing Mission Profiles”
https://xkcd.com/2909/
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles
Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.
Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

The Earth-Moon Roche limit is 9600 km, center to center, or about 2000
km surface to surface.
Any closer, and the moon would break up.
At that height, the moon would orbit in about five and a half hours.
Effects on the tides would be noticeable, about 1600x larger than now.

So, the stepladder suggestion (in the popup in the online comic) is
definitely out, then.

[Scott Dorsey]

Post by Paul S Person
So, the stepladder suggestion (in the popup in the online comic) is
definitely out, then.

Duck! Here comes the moon again!
--scott

[John Savard]

On Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:14:32 -0400, Cryptoengineer

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Paul S Person
And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

The Earth-Moon Roche limit is 9600 km, center to center, or about 2000
km surface to surface.

Well, then, geostationary orbit should do just fine.

So the only problem would be what material to make the stepladder out
of.

Well, that and not getting tired on the climb up.

John Savard

[Lynn McGuire]

Post by Paul S Person
On Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:14:32 -0400, Cryptoengineer

Post by Cryptoengineer

Post by Paul S Person
And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

The Earth-Moon Roche limit is 9600 km, center to center, or about 2000
km surface to surface.

Well, then, geostationary orbit should do just fine.
So the only problem would be what material to make the stepladder out
of.
Well, that and not getting tired on the climb up.
John Savard

So, who gets the Moon permanently stationed above them ?

I can see people for it and against it both.

Lynn

[Joy Beeson]

On Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:42:19 -0500, Lynn McGuire

Post by Lynn McGuire
So, who gets the Moon permanently stationed above them ?
I can see people for it and against it both.

The Land of Aweful Shadow might do interesting things to the weather.

[Alistair Tyrrell]

Post by Paul S Person
On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 14:03:02 -0500, Lynn McGuire

xkcd: ?Moon Landing Mission Profiles?
https://xkcd.com/2909/
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2909:_Moon_Landing_Mission_Profiles
Moving the Moon closer would make a great space station and vacation spot.
Until it broke up and then rained on the Earth for hundreds of years.

And the stepladder suggestion seems to presuppose that the Moon is
both very close to the Earth and yet stationary relative to the Earth,
which might be harder to achieve then just contracting the orbit.

Or do it from a small boat like they used to have in the
old days - "The Distance of the Moon" by Italo Calvino,
found in the collection Cosmicomics (highly recommended).