ems@aristotle.JPL.NASA.gov (Eric Slimko) (11/08/90)
I just read an interesting concept the other day in the latest issue of Final Frontier in the "Notes from Earth" column, I believe. It involved using a waverider design on a spacecraft in order to dive through the atmosphere of a planet to get really close for the maximum gravity assist. The article claimed it could cut a 12 year trip to Pluto down to 4 years (!). I don't know much about the equations governing waveriders, but I am really surprised that the additional boost from getting closer is that much greater than the drag induced from going through the atmosphere. The article didn't treat the subject heavily, and the numbers 12 and 4 were about the only ones in there. Has anyone done/heard some work on this subject and would like to give some more detail? -- Eric Slimko | Jet Propulsion Laboratories ems@aristotle.jpl.nasa.gov | NASA/CalTech