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Re: starship-design: Re: Light RamScoop?
At 7:54 PM 11/6/96, Timothy van der Linden wrote:
>To Kelly
>
>>A thought. Long ago, we were discusing Ramscoops. Eiather for ram fussion
>>systems, or ram augmented systems. The later could use interstallar dust
>>to augment the reaction mass. At the time we figured that any physical
>>scoop would weigh more then the material it scooped up, and ran into papers
>>(Heppinhimer wrote one) that suggested that the the drag from a magnetic
>>scoop would be greater than the thrust.
>>
>>What about light scoops? Could we use lasers reflected off of outriding
>>light sails? The sails would need to tack back and forth on the beem. But
>>could reflect the beam back in toward the line of flight. Pushing material
>>inward toward a smaller scoop. This would seem to avoid the drag problem,
>>but I've no idea if they would be worth the trouble.
>
>Where does the laser come from? If it comes from the ship, it will push the
>ship back.
True, thrust gain from the added scooped mass would have to be greater that
the reverse thrust for the system to be practical.
>At the moment I can't ask more detailed questions, since I'm not 100% sure
>of the configuration.
>For example how are you going to "tack the sail back to the ship"?
>
>
>Tim
If the mini-sails are ahead of the ship and pointing forward and outward.
The mini-sail will reflect the beam inward and forward, and the mini-sail
will be pushed outward and forward. If the sail turns back inward. It
will reflect the beam outward and backward. The mini-sail pushed inward
and forward.
Kelly
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Kelly Starks Phone: (219) 429-7066 Fax: (219) 429-6859
Sr. Systems Engineer Mail Stop: 10-39
Hughes defense Communications
1010 Production Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46808-4106
Email: kgstar@most.fw.hac.com
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