Talk-Polywell.org

Laser launchers require propellant in the craft. http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/library/meetings/fellows/mar04/897Kare.pdf Never said laser launchers didn't require propellant in the craft. But then, so will a TRITON VentureStar. Please, please, please read and think about the report you sent us. T...

Addendum: I also respect the potential of ground-based laser arrays for launching smaller masses. The tie-in with this forum is the efficient power Bussards will be able to achieve (I fervently hope) and make available for other uses (water desalination, etc.) when not launching payloads to LEO. Als...

GIThruster: Except for one caveat, I agree completely! And one must admit, only one caveat is pretty good for this forum! Caveat: I don't think sending Venturestar-Style Craft (VSC) wandering the solar system in their best use. We must build expensive aerodynamic, TPS, safety, etc. systems into the ...

Good luck typing while walking on a treadmill, it will be hard enough on pedaling on a stationary bike!

se e wh a t i me an? That's without going back and fixing my errors!

Tom Ligon: We should create the pedal-powered computer for people who spend their days surfing the Interwebs.

GIThruster: I've had a look at the TRITON and I think it's an excellent update to the NERVA from the Fifties and Sixties (I think). WRT to my original posts, I assumed the Bussard was available as an option, but subsequent posts point out it probably isn't. Egg on my face. So...I think the Titan mis...

Why crewed missions for Spaceguard? I'm thinking of three primary reasons: 1. Adaptability: Robotics and tele-robotics are not yet sufficiently adaptable to cope with situations we not have envisioned before we designed the equipment. Example: which variety of Large Object are we pushing? Comet - a ...

You want an objective for human space flight? Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceguard Protection of our planet is my primary motivation for interest in space programs, hence my participation in the design portions of this forum. I would rather see a Bussard-powered heavy lift vehicle helpi...

With the thirst people have for alcoholic beverages, I believe you have a winner!

Certainly more convenient than what these people have:

http://bikeblender.com/

chrismb and D Tibbets: Thanks, got it. chrismb: The only objection I see to your 'massive' radiator is its mass. My first thought was to launch a dewar filled with (edit: liquid helium) and use the expansion gas to cool the rest of the probe. A further thought is the expansion gas further heated by ...

I believe your greatest problems will be child labor laws and the bleeding hearts who can't stand the idea of getting some useful wor... er, exploitation of these poor unfortunates for gratification of our selfish desire for more power production to support our increasing mechanistic and consumer-or...

AcesHigh: Like millions of others, I enjoy Dr. Brin's writing. Thermocouples and fancier devices transform temperature differences into electrical energy. The sticking points are the details: e.g. how hot, what temperature difference, how much power out? I don't know the details, but I'd be surprise...

Never mind. As nice as these notional designs are, they are too expensive to develop without some real money. Who will pay for the Sexy Beast (see my previous post), let alone the Truck? I was wrong in my previous posts, the first Bussard-powered SSTO should be a steam rocket that looks like a scale...

DeltaV, such a good post! For convenience, I'm going to call your concept the "Sexy Beast". I'm trying to (notionally) design a spaceship (hereinafter the "Truck") which won't be spending much time in the atmosphere except for fueling and loading. I'm also trying to reduce development cost by not in...

This may be off topic, but is conceptually related. Looking back at the origin of this thread: http://gltrs.grc.nasa.gov/reports/2006/TM-2006-214481.pdf Motors in the rim reminds me of boat thruster designs which have gone hubless. http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/propulsion/exciting-new-eps-thruste...