RE: starship-design: Ramjet workings?

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

Kelly, Timothy and Isaac,

Just a couple of ideas:

I haven't really been following this thread very closely so excuse me if I
misunderstand or misconstrue...

If you have magnetic fields capable of generating enough delta v to grab a
fuel pellet moving that fast and drag it toward the axis of the engine (?) 
in such a limited time, WHY are you bothering to fuse it? It sounds to me 
like you already have your propulsion - the magnetic field itself. If it 
can do what you say, then simply accelerate the pellet in the appropriate
direction, the heck with trying to fuse it.

(HOLD ON TO YOUR PANTS FOR THIS ONE)

Second, YOU ONLY NEED ONE PELLET. Actually, more would help, but if you
have two ships accelerating in opposite directions they can throw the same 
pellet(s) back and forth. This perfect for breaking one ship while the 
other half accelerates for a fly by. Of course this assumes that your 
catcher field can stop a pellet moving at light speed and then reaccelerate 
it back to light speed going the other way.

Lee