-
Xamonas Chegwé
- Bouncer

- Posts: 50939
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 3:23 pm
- About me: I have prehensile eyebrows.
I speak 9 languages fluently, one of which other people can also speak.
When backed into a corner, I fit perfectly - having a right-angled arse.
- Location: Nottingham UK
-
Contact:
Post
by Xamonas Chegwé » Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:19 pm
The change in momentum part is dead on - made up or not!
Anything that you scoop up, unless it is travelling at the same velocity as you are in the same direction, would entail a transfer of momentum which would affect your ship's velocity (and potentially direction.)
A book is a version of the world. If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.
Salman Rushdie
You talk to God, you're religious. God talks to you, you're psychotic.
House MD
Who needs a meaning anyway, I'd settle anyday for a very fine view.
Sandy Denny
This is the wrong forum for bluffing 
Paco
Yes, yes. But first I need to show you this venomous fish!
Calilasseia
I think we should do whatever Pawiz wants.
Twoflower
Bella squats momentarily then waddles on still peeing, like a horse
Millefleur
-
Blind groper
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:10 am
- About me: From New Zealand
-
Contact:
Post
by Blind groper » Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:17 pm
JimC wrote:I have read speculation about using intense magnetic fields to gather the charged particles in the interstellar medium. If the field was big and effective enough, perhaps the gathered particles could be used as reaction mass... As a side benefit, they aren't crashing into the spacecraft...
That is the Bussard ramjet system. Obviously designed by Professor Bussard.
Sadly, it won't work. After Bussard did all the work and got lots of people excited, another academic party pooper came along with more advanced calculations and showed that the magnetic field involved worked much better as a brake than as a source of energy. In other words, the magnetic field slows down a star ship, which kinda defeats the purpose.
For every human action, there is a rationalisation and a reason. Only sometimes do they coincide.
-
mistermack
- Posts: 15093
- Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:57 am
- About me: Never rong.
-
Contact:
Post
by mistermack » Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:41 pm
Blind groper wrote:JimC wrote:
Sadly, it won't work. After Bussard did all the work and got lots of people excited, another academic party pooper came along with more advanced calculations and showed that the magnetic field involved worked much better as a brake than as a source of energy. In other words, the magnetic field slows down a star ship, which kinda defeats the purpose.
Zowieee. Another blind shot in the dark from mistermack hits the gold.
How come my guesswork never worked like that in the bookies?
While there is a market for shit, there will be assholes to supply it.
-
Blind groper
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:10 am
- About me: From New Zealand
-
Contact:
Post
by Blind groper » Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:09 pm
Bookies are too smart.
For every human action, there is a rationalisation and a reason. Only sometimes do they coincide.
-
JimC
- The sentimental bloke
- Posts: 74176
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:58 am
- About me: To be serious about gin requires years of dedicated research.
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
-
Contact:
Post
by JimC » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:29 am
I wanted it to be like Poul Anderson's "
Tau Zero"

Nurse, where the fuck's my cardigan?
And my gin!
-
FBM
- Ratz' first Gritizen.
- Posts: 45327
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:43 pm
- About me: Skeptic. "Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach"
-
Contact:
Post
by FBM » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:22 am
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
-
Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
- Posts: 151265
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:24 am
- About me: My posts are related to the thread in the same way Gliese 651b is related to your mother's underwear drawer.
- Location: Sitting next to Ayaan in Domus Draconis, and communicating via PMs.
-
Contact:
Post
by Gawdzilla Sama » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:25 am
Wait. A planet without a sun? How did they detect it?
Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
-
FBM
- Ratz' first Gritizen.
- Posts: 45327
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:43 pm
- About me: Skeptic. "Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach"
-
Contact:
Post
by FBM » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:43 am
Gawdzilla Sama wrote:Wait. A planet without a sun? How did they detect it?
With the Book of Mormon, of course. Makes an excellent telescope.

"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
-
Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
- Posts: 151265
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:24 am
- About me: My posts are related to the thread in the same way Gliese 651b is related to your mother's underwear drawer.
- Location: Sitting next to Ayaan in Domus Draconis, and communicating via PMs.
-
Contact:
Post
by Gawdzilla Sama » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:44 am
FBM wrote:Gawdzilla Sama wrote:Wait. A planet without a sun? How did they detect it?
With the Book of Mormon, of course. Makes an excellent telescope.

Well, if I'm on a planet I want it to be in a solar system. Cheaper to heat that way.

Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
-
FBM
- Ratz' first Gritizen.
- Posts: 45327
- Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 12:43 pm
- About me: Skeptic. "Because it does not contend
It is therefore beyond reproach"
-
Contact:
Post
by FBM » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:49 am
Gawdzilla Sama wrote:FBM wrote:Gawdzilla Sama wrote:Wait. A planet without a sun? How did they detect it?
With the Book of Mormon, of course. Makes an excellent telescope.

Well, if I'm on a planet I want it to be in a solar system. Cheaper to heat that way.

It's the closest planet to God's throne, so maybe they just ran an extension cord.
"A philosopher is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat that isn't there. A theologian is the man who finds it." ~ H. L. Mencken
"We ain't a sharp species. We kill each other over arguments about what happens when you die, then fail to see the fucking irony in that."
"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion."
-
Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
- Posts: 151265
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:24 am
- About me: My posts are related to the thread in the same way Gliese 651b is related to your mother's underwear drawer.
- Location: Sitting next to Ayaan in Domus Draconis, and communicating via PMs.
-
Contact:
Post
by Gawdzilla Sama » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:54 am
FBM wrote:Gawdzilla Sama wrote:FBM wrote:Gawdzilla Sama wrote:Wait. A planet without a sun? How did they detect it?
With the Book of Mormon, of course. Makes an excellent telescope.

Well, if I'm on a planet I want it to be in a solar system. Cheaper to heat that way.

It's the closest planet to God's throne, so maybe they just ran an extension cord.

Ein Ubootsoldat wrote:“Ich melde mich ab. Grüssen Sie bitte meine Kameraden.”
-
Tyrannical
- Posts: 6468
- Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:59 am
-
Contact:
Post
by Tyrannical » Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:31 pm
Blind groper wrote:Agreed.
There was a Scientific American article about 10 years ago, written by a couple of NASA scientists, who predicted that, within 500 to 1000 years, humans could build a star ship capable of accelerating to between 0.1c and 0.2c. That would do it.
We can already do near that with
today's 1960's technology. Project Orion nuclear powered craft (by riding nuclear explosion blast waves) would require about 36 days of 1g acceleration to reach 10% the speed of light.
A rational skeptic should be able to discuss and debate anything, no matter how much they may personally disagree with that point of view. Discussing a subject is not agreeing with it, but understanding it.
-
Blind groper
- Posts: 3997
- Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 3:10 am
- About me: From New Zealand
-
Contact:
Post
by Blind groper » Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:31 am
Tyrannical
No Orion craft has ever been built, so we actually do not know that.
For every human action, there is a rationalisation and a reason. Only sometimes do they coincide.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 8 guests