Perfect Sun Space Craft Orbit?

[therocketjohn]

Is there a perfect or best location to orbit the sun in a space craft so that the Sun's gravity and heat can be optimally utilized while minimizing spacecraft design requirements? Also, in this orbit, how much gravity would there be at that location?

 

[origin]

Is there a perfect or best location to orbit the sun in a space craft so that the Sun's gravity and heat can be optimally utilized while minimizing spacecraft design requirements? Also, in this orbit, how much gravity would there be at that location?

When you are in orbit the gravity is not really a consideration because you will be in a weightless environment due to your orbit. Are you asking what is the best distance from the sun to minimize the heating or cooling that you would need in a space craft?

 

[MeteorWayne]

It really depends on what your spacecraft is trying to do. Are you talking about a spacecraft observing the sun, or one observing other objects. No matter what you do, the craft will be hot on the sun facing side and very cold on the side away from the sun. The closer you are the more power you can get from solar panels, but the hoptter it is.

They key question is the prupose of the spacecraft, then everything else can be optimized.

 

[therocketjohn]

If humans are going to establish a long term presence on Mars or on other bodies in our solar system, then I'm thinking that one way to establish a transportation system from one planet to another would be to put a space craft or station in an orbit that comes close to Earth on one side and close to Mars on the other side of the sun orbit. This way, instead of having one way crafts going back and forth only at optimum times where Earth and Mars are closest, there would just be sun orbiting space craft/ stations acting as transportation between Earth and Mars, then there could be Earth or Moon to orbiting craft pickup/ drop off areas and the same on the Mars side so that the crafts could be continuously used for transport similar to how trains are used for on earth. I was just wondering where the optimal orbit would be for this type of setup.

 

[MeteorWayne]

There is an onging conversation in Space Business and Technology here:

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=17356

Discussing the Mars obit cycler you might be interested in,

 

[therocketjohn]

I figured I wasn't the first one to think of that. Thanks for the reference.