[myrmidon]

First: Orbital period out there is over 10000 years.

And if you circularize (which is expensive to do in delta-v), you minimize the time window you have for observation (because you're basically pointing your speed vector straight to outside of your observation cone).

[cyberax]

The orbital velocity at this distance is around 1 km/s, so you can fairly trivially (compared to anything else) zero it out. Then you can just hover in place, the solar gravity acceleration at this range is in _microns_ per second squared.

For all intents and purposes, you'll be in the interstellar space.

[hparadiz]

In order to get something there fast enough it would be traveling out very fast. Getting something there to orbit I think is not realistic for us any time soon.

[mlyle]

I guess the point he's making is that the orbital velocity is pretty slow, so it's not too different to "get there" and "orbit there".

Of course, the rocket equation often makes "just add a few percent more delta V" pretty hard ;)

[DarmokJalad1701]

> so it's not too different to "get there" and "orbit there".

But to "get there" within any reasonable timespan requires going really fast - which is currently highly impractical. And then once you get there, you have to them cancel pretty much all of that velocity which is not just a "few percent more delta V".

[hparadiz]

We can do 7-8 AU per year right now using tech we have. Voy 1 and Voy 2 are moving at 3.59 and 3.25. A starship sized rocket could also possibly get a small payload that separates to 15 AU. This is all using conventual propellent. If you consider using nuclear explosive as a prepulsion technique the math starts to change substantially and you can achieve even 25 AU / year.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20140013260/downloads/20...

[DarmokJalad1701]

Sure. But then how do you go from 7-8 AU/yr (33-38 km/s) to whatever the orbital speed is at that distance and also point that velocity vector in the correct direction for the orbit?

[fc417fc802]

If time is no object, sure.