From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Apr 16 2003 - 21:31:57 MDT
--- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury@aeiveos.com> wrote:
>
> OK, well this one is going to tweek at least a couple
> of people on the list...
>
> 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...
Don't know as microwaves would be more efficient than visible or near
visible lasers. Apparently, according to the discussions you have some
serious issues of antenna size to deal with in microwaves. Other than
that, the energy improvement for non-fueled propulsion is a factor of
ten over fueled propulsion, simply because you don't need to haul your
fuel with you.
As Doug Jones has said in the past, getting 'lobbed' provides a
signficant boost to any launcher. I'm wondering though why XCOR isn't
planning on towing the Xerus to an altitude using conventional
aircraft. The vehicle itself will not be capable of more than about
mach 5, I think, without any assistance.
=====
Mike Lorrey
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
- Gen. John Stark
"Pacifists are Objectively Pro-Fascist." - George Orwell
"Treason doth never Prosper. What is the Reason?
For if it Prosper, none Dare call it Treason..." - Ovid
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