Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mordor.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!mordor!@S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA From: @S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Re: Shhot the Moon Message-ID: <2554@mordor.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 12:08:59 EDT Article-I.D.: mordor.2554 Posted: Mon Jul 8 12:08:59 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 12-Jul-85 00:25:35 EDT Sender: daemon@mordor.UUCP Lines: 12 From: DIETZ@RUTGERS.ARPA Someone suggested sending the material to Earth orbit, then down to the moon. the problem with this idea is that you have to stop the payloads in oribt somehow: either by impact with a very heavy/thick backstop, or by active techniques (retrorockets?) that make the projectiles expensive. Hitting the moon seems much simpler. A point I should also have made clear: the launcher will have to swivel, since the moon is not geostationary. One might expect to launch perhaps 30% of the time. Any orbital mechanicians want to comment? -------