Re: starship-design: Hitching a Ride on a Magnetic Bubble

[STAR1SHIP@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/8/00 6:31:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time, stevev@efn.org 
writes:

> STAR1SHIP@aol.com writes:
>   > The speed of wind is an average velocity made up of light, gravity 
waves, 
> 
>   > heat, electro and magnetic components and also mass parts. A well 
> designed 
>   > "light"sail in theory could indeed reach light speed, but practically 
> will 
>   > not near c, for the light and electromagnetic energy captured by the 
sail 
> far 
>   > from the effects of the gravity and mass parts is so small in relation 
to 
> the 
>   > mass of the rocket sail, I see little hope of leaving the solar system 
> before 
>   > the solar system gravity fields slows and drags the sail back in an 
>   > elliptical comet like orbit orbit around the sun.
>  
>  What is referred to as the "solar wind" is specifically the charged
>  particle flux that streams away from the Sun, and it's that charged
>  particle flux that would interact with a magnetic sail.
>  
>  According to Lang's _Astrophysical Formulae, 3rd ed._, pp 271-273, the
>  solar wind has two components, one with a velocity of about 400 km/s,
>  another with a velocity of about 800 km/s, as measured near Earth.
>  Solar escape velocity (the table in _CRC Handook of Chemistry and
>  Physics_ doesn't say where, but I'm assuming from the surface since it
>  would vary with distance from the Sun) is about 671 km/s.  So
>  interaction with the fast component of the solar wind could easily
>  propel a spacecraft to escape velocity from the Sun.

Steve,
I was looking for something a little more reliable than the Lang's 
_Astrophysical Formulae, 3rd ed._, pp 271-273 or the solar wind and it's many 
more than two components :-).

Needing solar wind power at a specific time to keep rocket from falling into 
a planet gravity well during close orbital manuevers seems fool hardy.

Partial quote----
For Two Days The Solar Wind Stopped 
by Paul Winter 

Back in May 99, the solar wind stopped for two days. Actually, it dropped to 
2% of its normal density and to half its normal speed. Although the solar 
wind varies greatly, this was the most drastic and longest-lasting decrease 
ever observed. NASA sat on the story for five months. Squished it flat. When 
NASA finally released that information, it was too old for newspapers to carry

quote link
http://www.best.com/~handpen/Bio/comes.htm

end quote

Regards,
Tom