Hi all,
Wondering if anyone has looked into introducing spin into their cargo when putting it into the rocket? Would this be a valid strategy to placing Cargo in a rocket Port before both Hatches have been placed?
You mean actually spinning the ball as you place it?
Prototype it! All you have to do is turn a backspin shooter sideways and you’ll see if it works.
Yes the cargo mechanism would introduce some side spin into the ball as it places it in the Port. In theory it would work to bias it in one direction or the other, however, there isn’t much surface area that the ball contacts to grip and go in a direction.
Absolutely, prototype it first!
Our tests show a minimal ability to control direction, or the side, the Cargo will go to base on side spin. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, just that there are better ways to dictate which side it goes to.
You’ve tossed this ball up in the air spinning, right?
The cargo ball is really off-balance so when you spin it, it has an eccentric rotation.
So a 13.0 inch ball will occupy a 14 inch diameter.
Also note, the ball is very light. If it were heavier, it’s forward momentum could help to carry it forward through an opening . Instead, if it hits an edge of an opening, it doesn’t have enough momentum to continue forward through the opening, instead bouncing back at some kind of crazy angle.
I suppose if you could spin it fast enough the off-center weight distribution could be prevented making the trajectory look like a bouncing ball’s because it actually takes some time for the weight to take it off-center. I’m pretty sure there’s differential equations for this, but I’m not looking for them right now.
That’s been our experience too. The ball is just too eccentric to give a reliable trajectory when rotating. Our efforts have been all toward syncing our contact wheels to minimize the spin and get a more reliable trajectory. Given how the cargo ports and interiors are shaped, I doubt that spin will really help all that much anyway. The whole design is pretty much made to funnel the cargo into place once you get it through the port.