mark swain wrote:What densities was the probe able to with stand? If it shut down at 150 KM Would that be the depth of SL9 impacted?
The probe failed at a pressure of about 2.3 MPa (23 atmospheres). But it had lost all its cosmic entry velocity before the pressure even reached a half atmosphere. So its "impact", and heat shield ablation, was very high, before the atmosphere became very dense at all.
It is estimated that the largest fragments of SL9 had completely fragmented before the pressure even reached 1/4 atmosphere. So indeed, this happened while the atmosphere was still very thin.
If the gas giants have been cleaning the solar system for 4.5 Billion years,, What else is inside them?
No doubt, they've absorbed quite a bit of asteroidal and cometary material (as have the terrestrial planets). But in terms of their total mass, I'm sure it's a vanishingly small amount.
You said lights we saw.. Made me think you meant they wasn't much of an event.
Not at all! 6 million megatons equivalent is no small event. I only meant that the light we saw was from the heating of compressed atmospheric gases in front of the fragments, even though they themselves were still in a thin atmosphere.
[quote="mark swain"]What densities was the probe able to with stand? If it shut down at 150 KM Would that be the depth of SL9 impacted?[/quote]
The probe failed at a pressure of about 2.3 MPa (23 atmospheres). But it had lost all its cosmic entry velocity before the pressure even reached a half atmosphere. So its "impact", and heat shield ablation, was very high, before the atmosphere became very dense at all.
It is estimated that the largest fragments of SL9 had completely fragmented before the pressure even reached 1/4 atmosphere. So indeed, this happened while the atmosphere was still very thin.
[quote]If the gas giants have been cleaning the solar system for 4.5 Billion years,, What else is inside them?[/quote]
No doubt, they've absorbed quite a bit of asteroidal and cometary material (as have the terrestrial planets). But in terms of their total mass, I'm sure it's a vanishingly small amount.
[quote]You said lights we saw.. Made me think you meant they wasn't much of an event.[/quote]
Not at all! 6 million megatons equivalent is no small event. I only meant that the light we saw was from the heating of compressed atmospheric gases in front of the fragments, even though they themselves were still in a thin atmosphere.