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RE: Extra Vehicle Activity (EVA) or Spacewalks
That's an incredible article on space walk and it's interesting facts. But I wonder how useful would the jetpacks be in case of tether breaking, since the space station is travelling at a speed of 17 227 Miles per hour? I don't think jetpacks can match that speed. What do you think?
Thank you very much @siddartha. I do believe they can as the astronauts is also traveling at the same speed. I think we should ask the question to @lemouth ... A scientist friend of mine. There must be some scientific facts around this.
Hmm, yes. Maybe I am just missing something.
Hi @siddartha, I just had a chat with @lemouth who is a particular physicist and professor in physics. The answer is that the astronaut with the jetpack would be able to get to the space station as he is travelling relatively to the space station. To quote him: (the entire system station+astronaut evolves at a given high speed V, and the astronaut is evolving relatively to the space station at a small speed v).
Another answer came from @justtryme90 from the SteemSTEM group on Steemit Chat.
Hmm, ya now it makes more sense. I think then astronaut would be able to get back on the space station.
This is certainly correct!
An easier way to think of it is relative speed, sure the space station is going very fast - but if you are going with it, you are also going that fast speed.
The jet pack can only speed you up so fast, you are only going a few miles per hour faster or slower than the station.
It is indeed. It is like a fly flying forward in a car going at 120km