Re: starship-design: FTL travel

[Ben Franchuk <bfranchuk@jetnet.ab.ca>]

KellySt@aol.com wrote:
 
> This would cost a fortune!  You've got three times the servicing headaches,
> plus three times the vehicle design and integratin headaches.  To lower costs
> - keep it simple, servicable, and flying a lot.
> 
This is a simple design.. 1 segment does 1 job.
Piloted craft, to carry Orbital pod,a 30 minute flight to provide
a simple air launch. Because the launch is < the speed of sound a
simple craft is needed. Orbital pod then has the advantage of better
ISP for the rocket motors and being unmanned can follow a simple
flight path with a simple autopilot, and not need the over head of
manned life support. The capture stage provides the fine navigation
control for space station docking. The higher ISP because this is 
beamed energy rocket counter acts the mass of the capture craft,
and saves weight on the orbital pod for guidance and reentry controls.
The assume that the fueled capture craft always stays in orbit,
and I have manned space station in orbit,with beamed energy collectors.  

This is not 100% bootstapable at the moment, is the really big flaw.
Ben.

-- 
"We do not inherit our time on this planet from our parents...
 We borrow it from our children."
The Lagging edge of technology:
http://www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/woodelf/index.html