starship-design: Re: re: sorry about last email

[Kelly St <KellySt@aol.com>]

In a message dated 12/14/97 1:42:00 PM, you wrote:

>Hello again
>
>Sorry about last email that was partially there. I hit the wrong button.
Anyhow,
>My name is shellgardner.  Just to tell you, I am not the actul "shell
gardner".
>I am her son, solarfm, I just have to use her name to get on the web. Its so
she
>can tell where I went.

No problem.

>Anyhow, I like you explorer class starship. Just a few pointers I want to
make.
>1. I thought that a fusion engine can make incredible amounts of energy just
from
>a little bit of fuel. I am questioning the 25,000 tons to actully go 30% the
speed
>of light. I agree it would take only 16 weeks, which is not bad, to reach
that
>speed.

Actually its more like 25 million tons.  Yes fusion can incredible amounts of
energy just from a little bit of fuel, but the energy needed to shove a ship
that heavy to those speeds is far FAR greater.  <otherwise we'ld go faster!
;)  >


>The other thing is that ypu wouldn't need to take extra fuel to slow down.
Only
>to speed up on the trip home. I was reading in a science magizine about
"magsails"
>whjich is a huge magnet in the rear of the ship. The Mag sail would slow down
the
>ship enough, and you could use in in corridenice with the solar winds. 

Problem is, as far as we can figure out, the magsails wouldn't produce enough
drag to slow the ship down fast enough.


>And you wont have to worry about food so much if you put the entire crew in a
cryofreeze.
>Then you would only need to store food for the time they are around the star
system.

Problem is no one knows how to do "cryofreeze".  People talk about it a lot in
science fiction films and books, but all actual attempts have killed all the
test animals.  Also as a practical matter someone has to keep the ship
repaired.


>And if the "cryobeds" had a thick jel in them, you could acelerate faster and
there
>would be "gravity " in the tubes so they could experince gravity.

In our case we don't have enough engine power to go faster, so its not much of
a problem.


>These are a few things I wanted to point out. Please right back responce. I
like
>your work!               Solarfm


Ok, glad you liked it!  ;)

Kelly