tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post8765249183532759383..comments2024-03-27T19:01:21.504-06:00Comments on Enik Rising: Solar sailsSeth Maskethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17178036016555722068noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-46841259985719397852009-04-20T08:04:00.000-06:002009-04-20T08:04:00.000-06:00That's how they slow down in the Forward books; th...That's how they slow down in the Forward books; there's no return trip AFAIK. But slowing down = accelerating the other way.<br /><br />That would hardly be the biggest stretch in the relevant books.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-1354588693308956772009-04-19T21:44:00.000-06:002009-04-19T21:44:00.000-06:00So, a ship leaving Alpha Centauri will be powered ...So, a ship leaving Alpha Centauri will be powered by a laser beamed from <I>Earth</I> and reflected off another sail? This just really sounds like a stretch to me.Seth Maskethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17178036016555722068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-46183666185764478432009-04-19T11:32:00.000-06:002009-04-19T11:32:00.000-06:00The easiest is just that it doesn't. In Forward's...The easiest is just that it doesn't. In Forward's books, there are human crew but the trip is explicitly billed as one-way with the ship engineered to be able to sustain a normal lifespan. Not a suicide mission, just permanent exile.<br /><br />You can use a solar sail to accelerate the other way too -- the way you do it is cut loose part of the sail (or another sail) and use it to bounce the light onto your drive sail the other way. The mirror sail goes the opposite way from you real fast, but you can alter the shape to maintain focus on the drive sail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-23947461977524453242009-04-19T09:43:00.000-06:002009-04-19T09:43:00.000-06:00Okay, good point about the fuel, but how does the ...Okay, good point about the fuel, but how does the ship come home? Does it just rely on Alpha Centauri's radiation and come home at a really slow pace? Or does it not bother, just beaming us information about what it finds?Seth Maskethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17178036016555722068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-7102472743916145972009-04-19T08:22:00.000-06:002009-04-19T08:22:00.000-06:00Also, the advantage is that you don't need to acce...Also, the advantage is that you don't need to accelerate the fuel you're using, and you don't need to accelerate the fuel you're using to accelerate the fuel you'll use in five years, and so on. The ship itself is just payload + sail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3412583847145043520.post-16189455775053984052009-04-18T20:55:00.000-06:002009-04-18T20:55:00.000-06:00Bob Forward has a couple of books that feature int...Bob Forward has a couple of books that feature interstellar solar sails.<br /><br />Also, _The Mote in God's Eye_ starts with one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com