F-16
- Thread starter Arjun1
- Start date
Nope. The F-16 uses an air-breathing jet engine. Once it reaches the rarefied air in the upper stratosphere, the engine's going to "flame out," and the Viper is going to stall and fall until it reaches thicker air, at which point the pilot will attempt to relight his engine so that he can continue flying or land.guys i was just wondering that if a F-16 would have unlimited fuel, then will it gonna start from earth and pass on from space and land on moon? (if moon had a runway)
possible?
The F-16 cannot reach space. It doesn't have enough thrust to break free of the Earth's gravitational pull and it's engine can't work in space or even in the upper atmosphere. (Now some experimental aircraft like the rocket-powered X-15 got very close, but they were specially-built jobs and quite another story).
Now...for argument's sake, if the F-16 somehow did manage to break free of the Earth's atmosphere (maybe this hypothetical F-16 had a rocket or hitched a ride on the Space Shuttle). It would only need to point itself in the right direction, fire its engines for a brief period of time and ti would be off.
Unlimited fuel would make the trip a lot faster, but it would not be necessary. Now, once again, jet engines don't work in space, but hey, maybe this Viper has an ion engine (which won't work in an atmosphere) or a liquid-fueled rocket motor (solid fueled rockets require air and don't work in space so it would have to be a liquid fueled rocket).
But, anyhow. The Mars Rover's were able to travel to Mars with only a few seconds of rocket burn time, same with the Apollo missions to the Moon. In space momentum is well-conserved, so there's no need to carry a bunch of fuel and constantly fire your engines. .
Also, the F-16 would have trouble landing once it reaches the Moon. Since the Moon has no atmosphere to speak of, airbrakes and flaps would be useless and so it would not be able to slow down to reach a safe landing speed.
The only way it could land would be if the Viper was fitted with a reaction-control system (basically a bunch of small thrusters/rockets scattered around the aircraft/spacecraft which allow for control in space). If the pilot had these, then he might be able to land, although doing so would be dicey at best.
If you'd like to explain any of the terms or concepts I referenced in this post, just reply in this thread and I'll get back to you.
@Arjun1,
Please note that a F-16 is not a space ship and not is designed for space travel.
Have a look at the Forum Rules first before starting a new thread or replying to a post - > http://defencetalk.com/forums/rules.php
The thread is OK as a joke in this section but if you are seriously starting threads on F-16s as moon landing space craft, you must be very, very young. Everyone is welcome in here, and everyone is encouraged to participate, but we do expect people to abide by the rules.
There is also a new members introduction thread, please start there. This is your chance to create a good first impression. You can have a go and get your feet wet posting there - it's hard to go wrong talking about something you are expert on - yourself.
- OPSSG
Please note that a F-16 is not a space ship and not is designed for space travel.
Have a look at the Forum Rules first before starting a new thread or replying to a post - > http://defencetalk.com/forums/rules.php
The thread is OK as a joke in this section but if you are seriously starting threads on F-16s as moon landing space craft, you must be very, very young. Everyone is welcome in here, and everyone is encouraged to participate, but we do expect people to abide by the rules.
There is also a new members introduction thread, please start there. This is your chance to create a good first impression. You can have a go and get your feet wet posting there - it's hard to go wrong talking about something you are expert on - yourself.
- OPSSG
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