Moon Cannon: Prelude

The blog post titled "Anson’s Projects - Moon Cannon: Prelude" introduces a project exploring the feasibility of launching a payload from the Moon to Earth using a cannon-like mechanism. It discusses the potential of establishing manufacturing facilities on the Moon and highlights the unique advantages of its low gravity and lack of atmosphere. The author uses the Julia DifferentialEquations package to simulate the trajectory of a payload, outlining the necessary setup, including fundamental constants and equations of motion, while acknowledging the simplifications made in the model. The simulation incorporates atmospheric drag to define success criteria and uses callbacks to detect collisions with the Earth or Moon. Initial simulations reveal unexpected trajectories, prompting the author to refine the code for better iteration on initial conditions. The results suggest that the problem is easier than anticipated due to significant oversimplifications, boosting the author's confidence in pursuing more complex simulations. Future steps include simulating all solar system bodies, adding thrust to the payload, and exploring options for interplanetary travel. The author expresses a desire to optimize various factors, such as transfer time and landing accuracy, while maintaining a focus on the challenges of aerodynamics.

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