Re: Re: starship-design: scoops and sails and something to push against.

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/2/98 6:57:29 AM, ajcrowlx2@ozemail.com.au wrote:

>A more likely star-flight scenario, I think, is fleets of mobile space-
colonies.
>They'd be co-operatives who'd mine the Jovians via a skyhook system, and
they'd
>have huge mass-ratios thanks to using no tanks, bar minimal thermal wrapping.
>With mass-ratios of 100 they could get up to ~ 0.2c using D/D reactions. Or
>maybe a lithium dwarf star will be found close to the Sun and that'd become a
>great fuelling post. If you're going to spend decades between the stars why
not
>go en masse?
>
>Adam


This runs into the two big questions:
 - Who'ld pay for all this?
 - Why?

We could never figure out why anyone would fund a exploration leval missino.
a migratino through the galaxy mission is really over the top.

Kelly