Re: Lunar combat (was: Re: [OT] Moon Dragon Review?)

Oerjan Ohlson wrote:
> 
> Jerry Han wrote:
> 
> > Anybody want to actually do the calculations of the energy
transfered to
> an
> > airframe at impact on the moon versus that on the Earth?  I don't
have
> any
> > of my physics textbooks here at work.  (Oerjan?  (8-) )
> 
> While I have my physics textbooks at home, I have problems seeing them
(or
> the 'puter, for that matter) - I operated my right eye to get rid of
(half
> of) my near-sightedness yesterday, and don't expect to recover the
next few
> days or so :-/ I'm sort of half-blind right now.

Yeow!  Good luck with that.  I looked at stuff like that, and decided
that
I would stick with glasses.  (If nothing else, it impresses the women.
Yeah, right.  (8-) )
 
> Anyway, as your question is formulated now - calculate the energy
transfer
> on impact <g> - well... all of the kinetic energy will go into
wrecking
> your craft when it hits the ground, regardless of where you are :-)

Yeah, that was the idea.  (8-)	I was actually thinking of a comparison
between two similar bodies, with similar ICs, one body falling in Earth
conditions, and one body falling in Lunar conditions.  At what point
does
'terminal velocity' imply a lower impact speed on the Earth then on the
Moon?  If, for a given set of ICs, the Lunar craft will undergo less 
stress (i.e. lower impact speed), can such craft be built less sturdily
then their Earth counterparts, and by how much?  (Of course, the latter
question is also dependant on the combat capabilities of said craft.)

Essentially a lot of undirected curiousity here.  (8-)

J.

-- 
Jerry Han - jhan@idigital.net - http://www.idigital.net/jhan - TBFTGOGGI
*    "They say this Highway is goin' my way,   | Billy Joel -	       *
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