Re: Mars in two weeks?

From: Eugene.Leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Date: Fri Jan 05 2001 - 13:11:31 MST


John Clark wrote:

> The half life of Americium-242 is about 100 years.

So the layer is well below criticality? That would work.

Anyone knows a sail design where you don't have to travel
in it's wake? (with this particular sail, I'd rather not).

Apart from that, I still bet a carbon cloth sail microwave-driven
probe will outsail this easily. You're getting several g's
on the pure sail, albeit in close proximity of the microwave
radiator. Whether one can maintain similiar luminosity at
lightminute distances with spaceborne instrumentation...

Good thing Mars has Phobos/Deimos, these twin rocks will come
very handy for the opposite end of the shuttle.



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