Gravity Well Foundation

See the end of this section for the scientific definitions surrounding the gravity well

 

This site assumes that (a) someone or nation must act as the policeman of space around the earth, moon, and other planatary systems around our sun (sol) since it is in the interest of humankind for space to become humanized, and (b) at this point, from a United states of america perspective, the only reasonable policeman is the USA as it has the present capabilities and no reason to deny any ally or non-threatening actor access, but instead welcomes allies and partners in space, as all of humanity will need to be involved for humankind to become a space based civilization, and such an endeavour is extremely challenging.

 

The purpose of This Website, Papers, Forums and Podcasts / YouTube Channels, all planned for, will / and ARE discussing the unclassified views of those having some relevant experience in the field, and various associated subject matter, concerning Space Warfare as such is a vital and necessary part of the policing function. 

 

This is not a science fiction or wild speculation forum, but instead discusses  likely space warfare scenarios, and perhaps some unlikely ones, and how they would play-out within the context of the 3 key factors facing any realistic discussion of the application of known technologies, And The Contexts of the Strategies and Tactics which might employ such.

 

The primary CONOPS (see Concept of Operations page) of this site is that space warfare is by definition NOT executed from the earth, but is instead originated  non-earth and exeuted in space without regard to earth unless an attack is originated from earth. This is because the time to communicate this far out from earth takes too long for effective c&c at any level of detail (1.25 seconds in each direction per transmission).

 

This is a very significant difference, and reflects the transformation of space warfare into a conceptual equivalent to various ocean warfare strategies, as if this were a earth based naval warfare discussion site. All elements of space warfare, including space based supply chains, manufacturing of systems, deployment and operations of systems, communications, and command and control, are considered to be space based, and while ultimate C&C will likely come from earth, all operational C&C would come from space based assets.  

 

A good analogy might be PACOM, the US Pacific Command operating out of Hawaii, but in this case, C&C would come from a moon contigueous platform / base and this moon contigueous space would  be  it's operational theater, with most if not all deployable assets and manpower coming fROM, or at LEAST based in, such moon contigeous space because the time of transmission from earth to L-1 or moon assets takes too long for any but the most strategic communications to come from earth c&c.

 

the naval analogy applied writ large

a good place to start this discussion, using the PACOM frame of reference, is to discuss how to manage space "traffic". see US Patent Numbers 7,889,100 and 7,979,088, both describing a "Water friend or Foe global vessel identification and tracking" system currently assigned to IBM (and invented by one of the originators of this web site). This system can be implemented in space right now, and is definitely needed, in order to distinguish between appropriate space vehicles, satellites, et. al., and junk or nefarious craft with bad intentions. SEE RECENT SPEECH BOY SPACE COMMAND REGARDING NAVAL AND SPACE CONSIDERABLE OVERLAPS (see:   https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2718396/space-command-navy-share-commonalities-in-keeping-open-lines-of communication/#:~:text=%22Just%20like%20the%20Navy%20protects,Exposition%20at%20National%20Harbor%2C%20Maryland.)

 

once you establish a standard, and enforce it, the "traffic cop" in space can effectively do its job without concerns about after-action-complaints.

 

The Scientific definitions of the gravity well:

 

A gravity well is a conceptual model representing the gravitational field around a massive body, often visualized as a depression in space-time. For Earth and the Moon, their gravity wells extend into space, with strength decreasing with distance. At the surface, gravity is most pronounced, making it a logical focus for the query.
Gravitational Acceleration: Surface Values
The acceleration due to gravity, "g," is calculated using the formula 
g=GM/R2, where G is the gravitational constant (6.67430 × 10⁻¹¹ m³ kg⁻¹ s⁻²), M is the mass of the body, and R is its radius. We sourced precise values from NASA's planetary fact sheets for accuracy.

Earth: Mass (MEarth) = 5.972 × 10²⁴ kg  Radius (REarth) = 6,371 km = 6.371 × 10⁶ m  
From NASA Earth Fact Sheet, the mean surface gravity is 9.820 m/s², with a standard value of 9.80665 m/s² defined by CODATA 2018. For simplicity, we use 9.8 m/s², aligning with common usage.

 
Calculation: 
gEarth=(6.67430×10−11×5.972×1024)/(6.371×106)2≈9.82 m/s², confirming our value.
 

Moon:  Mass (MMoon) = 7.342 × 10²² kg  Radius (RMoon) = 1,737 km = 1.737 × 10⁶ m  
From NASA Moon Fact Sheet, surface gravity is 1.62 m/s².

 
Calculation: gMoon=(6.67430×10−11×7.342×1022)/(1.737×106)2≈1.625
 m/s², rounding to 1.62 m/s² for consistency.
These values represent the gravitational acceleration at the surface, where the gravity well's effect is most tangible for objects on or near the surface.
 

Gravity Well Dynamics
The gravity well extends beyond the surface, with gravitational acceleration decreasing as 1/R2 for distances greater than the radius. Inside the body, for a uniform sphere, g
 increases linearly from zero at the center to the surface value. However, the query likely focuses on surface values, given their relevance to everyday experience and the lack of specification for internal or orbital points.

The depth of the gravity well, with Earth's being significantly deeper due to its larger mass and radius, is indicated by the above differences in the gravity effects at the surface which extends for most of the distance between the earth adn the moon.

Additional Considerations
The term "inertial force " may suggest a connection to general relativity, where gravity is seen as curvature of space-time, and objects follow geodesic paths, appearing inertial in that frame. However, no standard metric like "inertial value of gravity" exists. We explored possibilities such as gravitational time dilation, calculations yield small effects (e.g., 6.95 × 10⁻¹⁰ for Earth, 3.13 × 10⁻¹¹ for Moon), but these are usually small but important variatoins when considering potential space warfare considerations
Variations in Earth's g occur due to latitude (9.780 m/s² at equator, 9.832 m/s² at poles) and rotation, reducing apparent gravity by up to 0.3% at the equator due to centrifugal force. The Moon, with no significant atmosphere, has a uniform g of 1.62 m/s² across its surface.

Comparative Table
To summarize key parameters, we present the following table:
Parameter.                                     Earth.                                 Moon
Surface Gravity (m/s²).           9.8 (mean 9.820)                      1.62
Mass (kg)                                  5.972 × 10²⁴                      7.342 × 10²²
Radius (km)                                  6,371                                1,737
Gravitational Potential (m²/s²).  -6.256 × 10⁷                    -2.821 × 10⁶

This table highlights the stark differences, with Earth's gravity well being much deeper, affecting everything from satellite orbits to human experience.

Conclusion
Gravitational acceleration in the well is VERY IMPORTANT, with Earth at 9.8 m/s² and the Moon at 1.62 m/s². These values encapsulate the "inertial effect" of gravity in their respective wells, aligning with the equivalence principle. For deeper inquiry, gravitational potential offers additional insight, but surface g remains the most relevant for practical purposes.

Key Citations
NASA Earth Fact Sheet detailed surface gravity data
NASA Moon Fact Sheet with surface gravity and GM values
 

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