by Guthers » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:46 pm
Bill Nort wrote:You talked a moment about an astronaut seeing an earth eclipse while on the moon.
I think someone would have to spend two weeks on the moon for that to happen. I don't know so I'm writing you to see if you think this is true.
The rocket energy to reach the moon is least when the moon is leading or trailing the earth in our orbit about the sun at first or third quarter.
At these lunar phases we don't have to fight the sun's gravitational pull. Make sense?
I think you might have to wait up to a month for the Earth to eclipse the Sun, even if the nodes were lined up properly.
You may be right about having an easier ride to the Moon at half phase, but of course you have to return to Earth, so you would lose out on any help from the Sun's gravity on the way back. I expect the best way overall might be to go at new Moon and return at full.
[quote="Bill Nort"]You talked a moment about an astronaut seeing an earth eclipse while on the moon.
I think someone would have to spend two weeks on the moon for that to happen. I don't know so I'm writing you to see if you think this is true.
The rocket energy to reach the moon is least when the moon is leading or trailing the earth in our orbit about the sun at first or third quarter.
At these lunar phases we don't have to fight the sun's gravitational pull. Make sense?[/quote]
I think you might have to wait up to a month for the Earth to eclipse the Sun, even if the nodes were lined up properly.
You may be right about having an easier ride to the Moon at half phase, but of course you have to return to Earth, so you would lose out on any help from the Sun's gravity on the way back. I expect the best way overall might be to go at new Moon and return at full.