Questions tagged [feasibility]
Used when the question pertains to how practical something is. It will also include an economic review of the what is being considered. It may be possible for something to be technically possible but the cost might be prohibitive.
44 questions
39votes
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Before we build a Mars colony, why don't we build a 100% self-sustainable test colony in the Antarctic?
Before we go to Mars, why don't we build a sealed dome self sustaining colony in the Antarctic? One that can heat itself, recycle all materials, water and waste. Grow enough plants to produce oxygen ...
4votes
1answer
257views
Semi-feasible alternates to silicon electronics for a Von Neumann Probe?
Disclaimer: this is a modified cross-post of my post on the Worldbuilding SE site, adapted to better fit the Space Exploration community. Some background A Von Neumann Probe (VNP) is a sci-fi probe ...
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10votes
2answers
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Is going to Ceres "as easy as going to Mars" like this aerospace engineer says?
According to aerospace engineer James Longuski of Purdue University in Indiana, We can go to Ceres as easily as Mars The key technology that a human mission to Ceres needs to develop is a ...
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3votes
0answers
135views
Have there been any studies of designs beyond the basic elevator in a rotating wheel space station?
In the 1977 NASA publication, "Space Settlements, A Design Study," exploring the feasibility of the Stanford Torus it says "Elevators could also be used to travel through the spokes to the far side of ...
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13votes
2answers
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How feasible is the Delta-Glider?
In Dr. Martin Schweiger's freeware spaceflight simulator Orbiter 2016, a very popular(but fictional) spacecraft is the Delta-Glider. It is capable of take-off from a runway, has hover engines for VTOL ...
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4votes
1answer
247views
Stabilization of Lagrange point asteroids
There are a couple discovered asteroids that orbit around L4 or L5 Sun-Earth Lagrange points https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(419624)_2010_SO16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_TK7 From what I read ...
4votes
2answers
891views
Is the Pulse detonation engine feasible
Now this is a big question and we'll need to fix it and make it more specific but I don't know how . I recently started reading up on alternative concepts and one that was talked about was pulse ...
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14votes
3answers
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Repurposing a nuclear submarine for space travel
Although a nuclear submarine might not make a great spacecraft, would it be possible to repurpose it for space travel? Benchmark: USS Illinois (SSN-786), Virginia-class submarine (born in Virginia, ...
4votes
1answer
296views
Could momentum transfer be practical (e.g., for orbital insertion at Pluto)?
Constraining exploration of outer bodies to flybys (such as New Horizons) seems unfortunate in terms of the amount of science that can be done per mission. Using a slower planetary approach has ...
user56
1vote
1answer
129views
Probable future tech to sterilize an EVA suit as it is being worn
As far as I've been able to find (please correct me if I am wrong!), there is no current technology that would permit an EVA suit that is being worn to be sterilized without risk of damage to the suit ...
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4votes
1answer
436views
How often can liquid hydrogen engines be restarted?
A proposal for lunar development, LunarCOTS, relies on a reusable shuttle running on LH2 and LOX to work. It lands, is refueled on the lunar surface, and then takes off again. Presumably it could sit ...
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8votes
1answer
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Could oxygen be used in a resistojet in a vacuum environment?
Resistojets heat a compressed gas or vaporize a liquid to expand it through a nozzle for thrust. They improve a bit on the performance of cold gas thrusters. This experimental water resistojet managed ...
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19votes
4answers
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Are Armageddon's simultaneous shuttle launches feasible?
In Armageddon, two space shuttles launch from adjacent pads mere seconds after one another. This seems highly implausible for several reasons: Pressure, heat, vibration and debris from the first ...
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6votes
2answers
3kviews
Why haven't we returned samples from Mars?
So far, we have gotten rovers on Mars to take samples and analyze them and send data back to Earth. However, why haven't we gotten a rocket to land on Mars, collect a sample, and blast it off back to ...
- 183
6votes
3answers
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Mining a near-Earth passing asteroid with profit?
The answer by PearsonArtPhoto in this question got me thinking, particularly this line: Asteroids would be cheaper to go to than the Moon I suppose the subject here are asteroids that pass in the ...
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