Re: starship-design: Re: Mystery force tugs

[KellySt@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/18/01 6:45:59 PM, stevev@efn.org writes:

>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.


but the design of the craft has the rtgs out on poles off to one side, with 
the antenna pointed toward earth.  So any thrust would be perpendicular (give 
or take) to the vector to earth.