RE: RE: RE: Re: Re: starship-design: Genuine STR question

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

> Well there would be a small (well under 1% if were lucky) waste
> heat factor.
> But the main engines would only be usesd on entry or exit from a
> starsystem.
> So you couldn't use it to provide shipboard power for the bulk of
> the flight.

Even AIMSTAR has more waste heat than that. It is beside the point though.
All of the current designs being worked on (AIMSTAR, VASIMR, etc.) require
significant amounts of onboard power just for the engines. The few kW needed
to run ship board systems wouldn't even be noticed. The weight of the
machinery to recover the waste heat would probably make it unattractive
unless it can be combined with the main power generator.

Lee Parker