@BrianRoemmele Man I don't know who you are but your account covers such a cool and diverse set of topics, single handedly one of the best accounts I've come across here. ๐ซก keep it up, great stuff!
@4gottnHistory Cyclical cataclysm with the most advanced survivors being able to bring aid and knowledge to other less advanced survivors, so advanced that they're considered magical. I like how realistic of a scenario that could actually be.
It's hypothetical obviously, but it's literally what we've been doing since we started chucking stuff through space.
The technique of using planetary and moon flybys for gravitational assists to either slow down or speed up spacecraft has been in use since the early days of space exploration, but it became a standard practice in the 1960s and 1970s.
1962: Mariner 2, launched by NASA, performed the first successful planetary flyby of Venus, using the planet's gravity to alter its trajectory.
1973-1975: Pioneer 10 and 11 used Jupiter's gravity to slingshot toward the outer Solar System, with Pioneer 11 later using Saturn for additional speed.
1979-1989: Voyager 1 and 2 executed a series of gravity assists, including Jupiter and Saturn flybys, to reach Uranus and Neptune. Since then, gravity assists have become a cornerstone of mission design, with spacecraft like Galileo, Cassini, and MESSENGER using multiple flybys to achieve their objectives with minimal propellant. The method continues to be refined and is integral to missions planning to explore distant parts of the Solar System efficiently.
@SundayBriefFNC@GalileoProject1 Here's a hypothetical "parking maneuver" scenario, with the forward facing tail acting as a thrust vector for "steering" while maintaining maximum energy conservation.
https://t.co/9fazNHGY12