Instant landing pads

[tomf]

I saw this a while ago but I don't think it got posted here.

This company claims to have invented a way of using the exhaust of a hovering rocket to bind lunar dust on the surface to make a pad that can be landed on seconds later. By injecting molten rock into it.

https://masten.aero/blog/mitigating-lunar-dust-masten-completes-fast-landing-pad-study/

[kerbiloid]

When a launch fails, such artifact remains.

Spoiler

 

[sevenperforce]

Okay now that is just a genuinely excellent idea.

[JoeSchmuckatelli]

5 hours ago, tomf said:

I saw this a while ago but I don't think it got posted here.

This company claims to have invented a way of using the exhaust of a hovering rocket to bind lunar dust on the surface to make a pad that can be landed on seconds later. By injecting molten rock into it.

https://masten.aero/blog/mitigating-lunar-dust-masten-completes-fast-landing-pad-study/

That's one of those things that when you first hear about it you think, 'that will never work...' 

But man - thanks for the link: very interesting read! 

[kerbiloid]

They are going to spend ISP on construction rather than acceleration, because the dusticles (ceramicles?) don't fly themselves, they eat the exhaust speed.

Packing the concrete with a blowtorch. Possible, but why?

Edited October 13, 2021 by kerbiloid

[DDE]