Re: RE: starship-design: Timothy's beamed power paper

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/27/97 11:40:57 AM, zkulpa@zmit1.ippt.gov.pl (Zenon
Kulpa) wrote:

>> From KellySt@aol.com Sun Jul 27 19:05:52 1997
>> 
>> In a message dated 7/27/97 8:50:36 AM, (Zenon Kulpa) wrote:
>> 
>> >> From: KellySt@aol.com
>> >> 
>> >> In a message dated 7/25/97 12:54:35 PM, (Zenon Kulpa) wrote:
>> >> 
>> >> [...]
>> >> >And assuming you will be able to find the beam in the vastness 
>> >> >of space...
>> >> 
>> >> Beam is locked in a straight line for the flight duration.  
>> >> If you drift off, you'll know where you left it.
>> >> 
>> >Will there be a nice striped poles along it to mark its course?
>> >More importantly, it will not be straight - as we have calculated 
>> >some time ago, it will veer to the sides by hundreds (or thousands) 
>> >of kilometers every time some of the transmitter maintenance crew 
>> >sneezes or a stray comet wanders nearby..
>> 
>> Well if you have a fleet of transmitter stations scattered over hundreds
of
>> thousand, to millions of miles the crew screw-up should be handelable.
 And
>> you only are firing the beam for a few years, so the comets can be avoided

>> by scheduling the flight.
>> 
>I am skeptical if it will be so easy.
>Anyway, trying this technologay on a robotic probe
>before an attempt with manned ships seems necessary to me.

Easy might not be the forst term to come to mind.  ;)  But given the other...
'chalenges' a project like this should pose, keeping the beam on track should
be comparatively easy.


>> As for the pole.  Make the center of the beam have a noticable carriour
>> signal.  Track the ship on that.
>> 
>Huh? We are not talking about losing the beam,
>but about chasing the beam from outside.
>When the ship is outside the beam, 
>it is even more outside the carrier signal...
>How can it track that?

As to finding the beam if you drift off.  You'll certainly notice which side
the power drops off from last.  Assuming a bit of inertial reference nav.
systems you should be able to find it again.  Baring that.  Look for an area
where the dust and debree has a noticable warming.

A better question is how to steer back into the beam.  The sail is too big
and heavy to be easy to alter course.  Also it would be tumbling by the
uneven beam presure as it drifted off the beams hot core.  As I suggested
some time ago the beam will probably need to be at least ten times the
diameter of the sail.  So you have a little time to correct before your stuck
lost in space.




>> >> >-- Zenon
>> >> >
>> >> >PS. Kelly, what happened to your charming spelling?
>> >> >    I'm rely worrid about yor helth or somthing...  ;-))   -- Z
>> >> 
>> >> Should be worse with me typing these at night in bad light.  
>> >> (desk lamp burned out.)  ;)
>> >> 
>> >Oh, just this is my problem - 
>> >it should be (much) worse, but isn't. 
>> >Why? (wondered Zenon).
>> 
>> Dumb luck? Perhaps I'm statistically more likely to accidentally hit the
>> right key, then on purpose?  ;)
>> 
>Highly improbable...
>Your spelling exhibited marked pattern, unlikely to be reproduced
>by pure (not speaking about dumb) luck.
>But don't worry - it seems you are recovering already...  ;-))

Ah yes sunlight has restored me to my former creativity!


>-- Zenon


Kelly