Re: starship-design: HOTOL SeaDragon idea.

[KellySt@aol.com]

>Current anti-matter storage vessels are called Penning Traps. They are
>about
>the size of a small hot water heater. They are transportable and can carry
>sufficient numbers of anti-protons for research and medical usage. Note
>that
>these store only anti-particles, anti-protons to be exact.

Well thats all you want.  Anti atoms are nutrally charged, which makes thm 
far easier to handel.



==
>At the moment, the front runners in  the deep space reaction engine market
>appear to be VASIMR and ACMF. VASIMR is basically a microwave pumped plasma
>engine, ACMF stands for Anti-proton Catalyzed Micro Fusion. True fusion
>rockets will probably never be used, the performance stats for ACMF are
>better than the theoretical performance of fusion engines if we ever figure
>out how to make one. It is expected that ACMF will lead to development
>of a
>true anti-matter drive in a few decades.

How can a ACMF motor have significantly more power then a pure fusion drive, 
given the bulk of th power is from the fusion engine?

Also fusion engines aren't a big problem.  They ae far easier to make then 
fusion power reactors.



>
>Lee Parker