Re: Engineering Newsletter

[KellySt@aol.com]

KellySt@aol.com writes:
 > The papers I've seen on on solar sails seem to disagree with
 > you.  RThey propose angling the sial to alter the thrust
 > vector.  Which would be impossible if the momenum transfer was
 > always in the direction of the photons origional vector.

>>You don't seem to have read what I wrote, so I'll repeat it below.

 > >> A reflected photon transfers momentum to a reflector normal to
 > >> the reflecting surface.


We seem to have a com error here.  From your previous statments it sounded
like you beleaved all thrust would be in the direction of the origional light
sources and that you couldn't divert some of the thrust into a lateral force.
 I.E. cut the forward thrust down.  I never sugested you could reverse thrust
on a light sail.  Part of the problem on my end might have been my use of a
light sail as an example.  With a light sail you don't thrust away from the
sun.  You thrust laterally to slow down or speed up along your orbit vector.

Kelly