From: Spudboy100@aol.com
Date: Wed Apr 16 2003 - 21:25:42 MDT
Robert Bradbury stated:
<<Tokyo University's "Microwave Rocket"
http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/15/0452237
Why irradiate the people in the rocket exhaust zone
(e.g. Project Orion) when you can fry them directly
at launch time?
Lets see, there is the ETC Group, the President's Council
on Bioethics, Greenpeace -- help me out here folks -- we
should be able to come up with a short list of folks
to invite to the "special class" seats for launching
one of these...
Byegones...
R. >>
1) Leik Myrabo's version of the Kantrowitz microwave drive launch system
seems sounder, because the Japanese team's atmospheric rocket
would merely work in the lower atmosphere and be lousy for orbital
attainment.
2) the Greenpeacers and bioethicists and whomever, appear to have little
support in Japan. If the Japanese spearhead this or any technology
likely to anger Greeenpeace, as long as its not Gaijin (foreign) and not
Japanese who are operating the technology, no more will appear at a
Japanese based protest, than would appear at a Japanese Flat Earth
Society.
3) Both Orion and Beam driven travel seem better utilized in high earth
orbit and beyond, then as an earth based launched method.
Mitch
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