Mini Slingshot in orbit

[katyjsst]

This seems another amazing thing to do with KSP. We just need carbon-nanotubes or something.

Let's see if you could replicate it

[gmpd2000]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]33172[/ATTACH]

But still is almost impossible

[Banbite]

Did some testing with just flinging stuff while in orbit, ie just building a very long craft, spinning it around and release some debris from it's edges when it reaches terminal angular velocity. It worked somewhat, it gave each pod an delta-v at around 30 m/s in each directions so it isn't really that much.

Giving it spin

After the seperation

So if you really wanna make this worthwhile you need a really, really long cable on a fast rotating body and if you wanna do it like the movie you posted then you need a way beyond MechJeb Accuracy in your manouevers. But I don't think it's impossible, at least not in small scale (like giving the ship a delta-v in the 2 digit area) but anything other than that, no. Unless you can't find a kilometer long cable part anywhere that works and succesfully use it.

[DonLorenzo]

The speed boost comes not from the rotation, but from grabbing onto the much faster-moving tether if I see it right. I get it could make the payload a lot lighter (no need for an engine+fuel), but surely the tether itself will need reboosting/stationkeeping..?

[Banbite]

It works by transfering momentum from the spinning craft to the one which grabs onto the tether, which means that the flinger ship goes slower while the flinged ship faster after the operation. So the flinger does need to use it's own rocket boosters to regain altitude for another round.

[-Gamah]

It works by transfering momentum from the spinning craft to the one which grabs onto the tether, which means that the flinger ship goes slower while the flinged ship faster after the operation. So the flinger does need to use it's own rocket boosters to regain altitude for another round.

Which is precisely why it makes more sense to just put fuel/engines on whichever craft we're trying to fling. Probably why comments are disabled on that video too.

[Phoenix Aerospace]

Which is precisely why it makes more sense to just put fuel/engines on whichever craft we're trying to fling. Probably why comments are disabled on that video too.

I would kindly point you to the electrodynamic tether. Ie, using a conductive tether in order to boost yourself by pushing against the planetary magnetic field. I saw the concept, and it looks like it would lend itself to the electrodynamic tether very well.

Wikipedia article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrodynamic_tether