this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024

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submitted 5 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago

Well, I guess this applies to me. I say that a lot.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (3 children)

If the idea is to be rid of the person completely, we don't need to fire them into the sun. Or launch them out of the solar system. They don't even need to reach earth escape velocity.

Just launch them at the sun. Use whatever method you like. Just get them high enough that after gravity starts to overpower acceleration, there is no chance for survival. Boom! No more person. For the most part.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago

Just launch lots of tiny bits of processed earth at them super fast. More propellant efficient and you don't have to worry that they might have packed a parachute.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (2 children)

You'd still be moving some 30km/s around the sun, and need to decelerate from that speed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Does the velocity of the earth around the sun enter into it if the projectile doesn't come anywhere close to leaving earth's gravitational pull? When I said "at the sun" it was just a direction. A gesture towards the spirit of the original "into the sun." They won't reach it. They'll just be a splat mark [insert parabola math here]-ish meters away.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

New slogan: Launch all billionaires straight up into the air using one of those circus cannons

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Launch them into Betelgeuse instead. It's a bigger target anyway.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

If we're going for a bigger target, let's go all out and aim for Stephenson 2-18. Go big or go home!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Can a solar sail be used to put a craft into the sun?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's an interesting question. A regular sail can sail into the wind, but they have a triangular sail, and a keel with water resistance. I don't think any of those things exist in space, so I'm going to guess no. Perhaps some sort of high efficiency propellant keel could make it possible?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (5 children)

My intuition would say no, but to be honest, I don't understand the physics of either solar or watercraft sails.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

Easily. You'd just have to use it to push your orbit in the right direction at the right time. If you are like Pluto, and way out there with a very eccentric orbit, unfurling the sail as you are heading into the galaxy might make your orbit path curve through the sun itself.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

So you're telling me shooting a space gun at the sun will miss?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

No, just that you'll need to use a longer casing on your round.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

Exceptions do apply, things like near-immortal beings or cursed objects may require the destructive power of a Sun and no less

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Wouldn't shooting them into Jupiter be the easiest?

I'm sure I've read a few things about what an impact that big bugger has on trajectories in our solar system.

Intuitively I feel like a push towards Jupiter would be easier than a push to get all the way out of the solar system avoiding Jupiter.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Ummm… quick question: Isn’t that all just a matter of timing?

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