Space Voyage #1

[Janus]

Originally Posted by TheBigDog

We will not need to "unspin". The spin gives us a great deal of inherent stability for aiming at a distant point and getting there. And making for a very stable ride for the crew. I have an idea to utilizing control plates on the exhaust bell to use the nuclear explosions pushing the ship to help steer it.

Bill (t-24)

Whether we decide to go with a low level constant thrust or the shorter stronger thrust (Pyrotex's numbers seem to assume a 1/10g thrust to reach the stated speed in three days.), We are going to have to "flip" the ship around. Remember, our main engine is also the brake. This is going to be mush easier if we de-spin the ship first.

[Janus]

Originally Posted by Pyrotex

To wrap up a few questions and loose threads.



We need a nuclear thermal reactor. It will have to be shielded. Sorry. I'm gamma intolerant, and if you don't shield the reactor, I won't be able to go.

We're spitting the equivalent of A-bombs out our rear end and detonating them, and your worried about a little radiation from a small reactor?

[TheBigDog]

Originally Posted by Janus

Whether we decide to go with a low level constant thrust or the shorter stronger thrust (Pyrotex's numbers seem to assume a 1/10g thrust to reach the stated speed in three days.), We are going to have to "flip" the ship around. Remember, our main engine is also the brake. This is going to be mush easier if we de-spin the ship first.

If that is the case we will need to engineer the living quarters to withstand periods of zero G. This may have a bigger effect on our agricultural endevours than with our people. I was envisioning that we would have some types of livestock (goats) to keep us in meat, milk, cheese, and fertalizer.

Bill

[Jay-qu]

Im sure a goat can handle 0g im more worried about fertalizer production at 0g! INCOMING!!

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by TheBigDog

I would go with the nuclear thermal reactor. It should be able to exist within the main tank surrounded by shielding....

Okay!

We will not need to "unspin". The spin gives us a great deal of inherent stability for aiming at a distant point and getting there. ...

Sorry, but I checked my Physics 201/202 textbook and there is no way you're gonna turn that ship with that much mass rotating fast enough to give us 1G. You said it would be "inherently stable" and you were RIGHT!!! So damn stable, it would take a huge portion of our fuel just to turn.

That is pretty much how I was thinking of it. I am struggling to figure out how we protect the lasers from the steady stream of nuclear detonations....

Advanced Faraday filters. Think of polarized filters that reflect light when crossed, transparent when alligned. And shielded mirrors.

You are also right about us not needing 100 years of thrust. But I think we should examine what a misson of say 5-10 years, visiting all the outer planets and moons...

Take on a 100 year mission if you want to. No reason not to. We got all the food water and checker boards we need. It's just that firing rockets is only done when you want to change your trajectory. And then you coast--and play checkers.

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by Janus

We're spitting the equivalent of A-bombs out our rear end and detonating them, and your worried about a little radiation from a small reactor?

I'm sorry. I guess I got carried away. Besides, if we put enough foamed balonium around the reactor and the fuel tanks, the problem just 'goes away', right? Right!

We don't want thrust greater than 1/10 G, or we'll have have to build the whole danged ship as strong as the Golden Gate Bridge, the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower all put together. Low thrust for a nice long time achieves the same results -- without having to use honkin steel girders and without having to be slammed against the walls.

I still say we should separate water into H2 and O2. We can use that for rocket fuel for the "landers" that we want to take down to the surface of Mars and various moons. The landers can be big enough so that we can land, take off and rendezvous and NOT leave anything behind. Multi-use.

We don't have to totally despin the hab-ring! We use a gearing system between hab-ring and a honkin flywheel inside the main engine housing. The spin of the hab-ring causes the flywheel to spin up and the hab-ring to slow down--until the gyro moments of both are the same and opposite! Then slew the ship to its new heading, and reverse the process until the hab-ring is fully respun. Art-grav in the hab-ring should decrease down to no less than 1/6 G (like the Moon's surface) for the few hours necessary to slew the ship.

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by Racoon

100 years of Checkers...
I'm bringing the Cribbage Board and Decks of Cards!
We can teach the Aliens how to play Poker!

If we play our cards right, we could wind up OWNING Alpha Centauri before the Aliens know what hit them!!!

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

Im sure a goat can handle 0g im more worried about fertalizer production at 0g! INCOMING!!

As well you should! Bob Overmyer was a friend of mine and the only astronaut I ever knew. He commanded the Shuttle on the so-called Monkey Flight. The simians were in cages that were designed to restrain monkey poop. Those cages must have cost the taxpayers 10 million bucks--and they did not work AT ALL!!!! Bob had to spend hours with a "dust buster" chasing the "brown M&Ms"!!!!

Technically speaking, JQ, that's... OUTCOMING!!

[Boerseun]

No need to turn the ship!

The hab units can merrily turn, providing a comfy 1G all round, whilst the propulsion can hang off it like from a hinge, aye? In other words, the hab pods/units will allways rotate in the same plane, regardless the ship's direction!

Please remember me in your wills.

[Pyrotex]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

No need to turn the ship!

The hab units can merrily turn, providing a comfy 1G all round, whilst the propulsion can hang off it like from a hinge, aye? In other words, the hab pods/units will allways rotate in the same plane, regardless the ship's direction!

Please remember me in your wills.

Yes!!!!!

MY WILL-- "And to Boerseun, whom I promised to remember in my will: Hi there Boerseun!!!"