how much thrust would it take to move Earth out of this orbit?
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
You have to increase/decrease the velocity of the orbit around the sun. An increase would widen the orbit and a decrease would do the opposite. You'r talking about a thrust greater than 5-6 quadrillion tons
The answer to your question is, technically, ANY amount of force would move the Earth out of this orbit.
The earth is at equilibrium. Any other forces on it...even 1 pound...would technically alter the orbit by an infinitesimal amount.
A can of Busch’s Baked Beans and some raw cabbage and I can move mountains!
PSU's own McCringleberry knows all too well that more than two thrusts will result in an intergalactic penalty.
Is something bothering you bunkie? Have a bad day? Knocking the Earth out of its orbit seems a little extreme.
To answer the thread question...
Probably the "Johnny Holmes" kind of thrust
Probably the "Johnny Holmes" kind of thrust
If all the big mouth blowhards of the big 2 all blew hard at once, that would probably do it. They can blow away bad QB recruiting, early losses, sexual assault scandals, so why not the Earth itself?
I was thinking yesterday if all of the nuclear weapons in the world were placed in one area and detonated would that energy move the earth of its axis. Which then led me to think how much force/thrust would it take to move the Earth.
And here I am spending my time thinking of compact metric spaces and weather reports.
The folks at Caltech or Nasa I'm sure can do it quite easily given the orbital parameters you're looking to achieve. These guys deal with orbital mechanic calculations regularly planning space missions. Clearly the earth's orbit can be changed if a large enough celestial body was to come in proximity of the earth warping space/time that the earth occupies and propelling the earth on a new trajectory whether it be a new orbit or escape trajectory from the sun.
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If Chuck Norris had someplace else to stand, he could kick the planet out of orbit
I've read that if every resident in China jumped at the same time they'd alter the Earth's orbit when they landed.
Am prayerful that President Xi doesn't read this forum or we're all goners.
Am prayerful that President Xi doesn't read this forum or we're all goners.
It’s easier than you think. According to US Rep Hank Johnson, if everyone in the world simply took a trip to the same location- say Australia- the earth would tilt off its axis and move from its current orbit due to the additional weight.
American SF author Stanley Schmidt wrote a series about this back in the 1970s: "The Sins of the Fathers". He was also a professor of physics at Heidelberg College (the one in the US), so he knew what he was talking about. For those who like SF, it's worth looking up.