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Re: RE: RE: RE: starship-design: Deceleration scheme




In a message dated 8/5/97 3:55:37 PM, lparker@cacaphony.net (L. Parker)
wrote:

>Kelly,
>
>> Agreed.  Thats only fast enough to get to the near by stars.  Even then
only
>> once in a while.  For real operations in interstellar space were going to
>> need some much better tricks.
>
>> Hey but .42 was pretty good!  ;)
>
>
>Well, we can slam a Starwisp up to .9c in about three weeks with a Maser 
>Sail. Perhaps we should start exploring now with Starwisps while we build 
>infrastructure for larger manned sails. We could at least settle everything
>within about 10 light years if we could get up to .5c. We would be sending 
>out ships crewed with children to do it....of course there wouldn't be any 
>chance of coming back.

What good is a starwhisp you can't stop in the target system?

Multi gen ships ad a host of problems.  A multi-generation colony ship would
probably need to be a few orders of magnatude bigger and more complex.  We'ld
never try them with sublight ships.


>What was the best figure for top velocity we came up with for RAM and RAIR?


Never did.  Looked like their was so little to scopp it wasn't worth the
bother.  I figured Explorer would have train car sized fuel packets set to
it, and docket to it.  Less hassel then rair.

Top speed for that was probably less then 30% of C.  It was dependand on how
far you could accuratly deliver the fuel packets.

>I've been thinking about the deceleration problem. Suppose we use a hybrid 
>sail, if the holes in the mesh are smaller than the wavelength of the 
>microwave beam it will reflect, and if it is smaller than the wavelength of 
>the laser (i.e. solid) it will reflect the laser and the maser. So let's 
>construct it in such a way that we have a thin film of material deposited 
>on a thicker mesh. It will strengthen the sail considerably and reflect both

>microwave and laser radiation. This way we can use both solar light and/or 
>maser arrays to accelerate up to speed quicker. Deceleration would be 
>completely by light pressure from the target star which would require an 
>earlier turnover, but it would still be a faster mission without the need 
>for complicated two-stage mirrors, etc.
>
>And if we get really desperate, we could still eat the sail when we're done.

><G>
>
>Lee Parker

Afriad solar energy is far too weak to ever accelerate or decelerate a
starship.  Might as well use a flashlight for thrust.   Hell a flashlight
would do better!  (More light once your out a ways.)  Thou adding multiple
beams might have advantages.  Say a smaller (thou hotter) sail?

Kelly