On 08 Jul 2003 16:22:04 GMT, (TKalbfus) wrote:

How about burrowing into a captures asteroid or comet, the low point of whose
orbit comes under Jupiter's radiation belt. How far down does Jupiter's
radiation belt extend. Low Earth Orbit is fairly safe, how about the equivalent
orbit around Jupiter? If a captured asteroid could reach that low point in its
orbit, the spaceship would exit and enter Jupiter's atmosphere for an
areobraking manuever to circularize its orbit. Getting out is another problem.
The asteroid would return and the spaceship would have to match its velocity at
its low point burrow inside and wait for the asteroid to take the ship outside
the Van Allen belts.

I seem to remember reading something about the inner 3 main moons
through millions of orbits have swept the radiation zone free of
charged particles, or something like that.


Christopher
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Only those who risk going too far,
can know how far they can go."
T.S. Elliot