Moon Cannon: Prelude

Anson's blog post, "Moon Cannon: Prelude," introduces a project focused on simulating the trajectory of a payload launched from the Moon to Earth using the Julia DifferentialEquations package. The idea explores innovative methods for transporting cargo between the Moon and Earth, particularly through a cannon-like mechanism, leveraging the Moon's low gravity and lack of atmosphere. The post outlines the setup for a basic restricted three-body problem, accounting for the gravitational influences of the Moon and Earth while simplifying other factors like the Sun's gravity. The author details the implementation of atmospheric drag and the equations of motion in Julia, providing insights into the coding process and the challenges faced. Collision detection with Earth and the Moon is also addressed, ensuring the simulation can terminate under certain conditions. Initial simulations reveal unexpected trajectories, prompting the author to refine the approach and iterate on initial conditions. The conclusion emphasizes the ease of using Julia for such simulations while acknowledging the oversimplifications made. Future steps include simulating all bodies in the solar system, exploring thrust mechanisms, and considering payload transfers to Mars. Overall, the post serves as an introduction to space mechanics simulation and the potential for more complex modeling in subsequent projects.

This content was originally posted on my projects website here. The above summary was made by the Kagi Summarizer