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Old 26th March 2023, 02:27 PM   #1
Gord_in_Toronto
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Radical NASA Propulsion Concept . . .

. . . Could Reach Interstellar Space in Under 5 Years

Radical NASA Propulsion Concept Could Reach Interstellar Space in Under 5 Years

Quote:
To work, the conceptual propulsion system requires two spacecraft – one that sets off for interstellar space, and one that goes into orbit around Earth.

The spacecraft orbiting Earth would shoot a beam of tiny microscopic particles at the interstellar spacecraft.

Those particles would be heated up by lasers, causing part of them to melt into plasma that accelerates the pellets further, a process known as laser ablation.

Those pellets could reach 120 km/second (75 miles/second) and either hit the sail of the interstellar spacecraft or repel a magnet within it, helping to propel the spacecraft to huge speeds that would let it whizz out of our heliosphere – the bubble of solar wind around our Solar System.

"With the pellet-beam, outer planets can be reached in less than a year, 100 AU [astronomical unit] in about 3 year and solar gravity lens at 500 AU in about 15 years," says Davoyan.
Seems . . . interesting. Enhanced solar sailing?

For me, "hope springs eternal!"
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Old 26th March 2023, 02:53 PM   #2
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Downwind faster than the wind.
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Old 27th March 2023, 01:29 AM   #3
smartcooky
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Originally Posted by theprestige View Post
Downwind faster than the wind.
...and that has been proven to be possible - tested, measured and confirmed.

However, 'pellet-beam' propulsion? Hmm, I'll reserve judgment until I see more information.
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Old 27th March 2023, 01:39 AM   #4
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It's similar to the bunker -busting lance of molten metal at the tip of a missile .
It totally works.

The real problem, imo, is to "catch" the projectile in a way that gets smoothly transfered into propulsion. How can you keep the "gun" and vessel perfectly aligned over solar distances?
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Old 27th March 2023, 05:39 AM   #5
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This is the best excuse to build a space laser gun that goes "pew pew pew" NASA has ever come up with!
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Old 27th March 2023, 11:10 AM   #6
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And, should the Kzin show up, it will be a nice defense mechanism too
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Old 27th March 2023, 11:30 AM   #7
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Sounds like tech that's in Sid Mier's Civ 6 - I thought it was just Sci Fi - Interesting!
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