Re: starship-design: Re: Mystery force tugs

[Steve VanDevender <stevev@efn.org>]

KellySt@aol.com writes:
 > In a message dated 5/16/01 11:00:54 PM, rmarlin@network-one.com writes:
 > 
 > >This "news" is getting to be two or three years old now, and yet it still
 > >
 > >circulates. The solution was found a long time ago- IR photon pressure
 > >from
 > >
 > >the RTG power supplies aboard all four probes causes the (extremely minute)
 > >
 > >deltaV. After many years of flight, that minute deltaV becomes readily
 > >
 > >detectable.
 > 
 > 
 > How can thermal emmiters hung off to the side, push the ships backward?

If the thermal radiation from the RTGs is not emitted equally in all
directions, then it would produce a net thrust opposite the direction it
is emitted most strongly.  There are a variety of ways this could
happen, such as an asymmetrical temperature distribution in the RTGs
themselves or the RTGs being obscured behind some part of the
spacecraft.