On Sep 23, 12:36*am, Pat Flannery wrote:
On 9/22/2011 1:22 PM, Andre Lieven wrote:

retrieval could be done by a unmanned robotic craft with a docking
probe left over from a apollo display, assumng snoopy isnt tumbling..

-That which is asserted without evidence can be dismissed
without evidence.-

It will be tumbling, if for no other reason that the reflectivity
of different parts is different because of the black paint on it,
causing the sunlight to generate a tiny thrust on it like a solar sail,
and start it spinning with time.

That's the most logical view on that, yes.

the vehicles primary mission could be somewhere else. also a good
first test to redirect a asteroid .......

Yes, because asteroids come factory equipped with docking ports...

No, we use an hydrogen bomb, that's the only fun way to do it.

I think that there's a treaty or two on that topic... :-)

involves tracking , manuvering docking and redirecting.

snoopy might first get relocated to a high earth orbit.......

In which case, the space tug that does this AIN'T going anywhere
else...

its easy top say impossible but sometimes creative solutions can be
found.

In your case, 'creative' equals 'factless and clueless'.

...and gawdawful expensive for what you would get in return.
You want to do a space tug demo mission, that Vanguard 1 is perfect for
it; it would look great in a case in the Smithsonian, and by studying
what must be the large number of micrometeor impacts on its exterior,
you could not only figure how common they are very accurately, but size
distribution of them as well as their composition from their splash on
impact.

Indeed. I don't deny that getting back the only surviving flown LM
would be wicked kewl. I just deny that, at this point, that it would
be
either cheap or easy.

Andre