Re: Mini SD-newsletter

[KellySt@aol.com]

>Even if 
>you cut off the fuel supply at a speed of .1 C (and how can you slow down 
>from this insane speed without fuel?)

>> OK you wonder how to decelerate even further? Easy, 
>> don't burn all the fuel from the packets as soon as you get 
>> a hold of them. OK, the ship gets a bit heavier and would 
>> be a bit more difficult to decelerate, but every system
>> has some advantages. That extra bit of weight/fuel 
>> should be just enough to decelerate from 0.1c to 0.0c.

Thats a very good point!  If the fuel stream can get the ship down to a speed
that it can decelerate down from with stored fuel, it could be done.
SCheduling the flight precisly enough to intercept the fuel is a problem
(assuming you can launch the fuel the precisely!) but again that would only
be a problem for a first flight if you bring along equip to build fuel
launchers in system.

However gven the target of Tau Ceti, and the practical time limits of 20
years were talking about fuel at over 1/2 light speed.

Oh, I suppose we'ld get some decel force out of the drage we'ld get from
picking up the slower fuel.

Kelly