Re: starship-design: Re: Re: Fwd: Re: starship design

[Steve VanDevender <stevev@efn.org>]

KellySt@aol.com writes:
 > >KellySt@aol.com writes:
 >  >> You have a lot of numbers, but I don't know where you
 > >> got them from.  How does a 20,000 pound engine with
 > >> shielding give 600,000 pounds of sustained 
 >  >> thrust?  Where do you get those weight numbers from?
 > 
 > > Uh, Kelly, an engine can produce more thrust than its weight.
 > 
 > Yeah, but a 30 - 1 thrust to weight ratio is pretty good, and this is a 
 > anti-mater to pion drive.  Optimistic.
 > 
 > Kelly

Rocket engines that have thrust well in excess of their weight
already exist.  Otherwise we wouldn't be able to get rockets off
the ground.  I don't see why you consider a 30::1 thrust::weight
ratio for an antimatter rocket optimistic considering the fuel
involved.  Think about it.