[TML] Freelance Traveller Contest 2008-01: Lead to some other thoughts, questions and inventions about gravity generators.

[shadow at shadowgard.com]

On 1 May 2008 at 18:03, Richard Aiken wrote:

> On Thu, May 1, 2008 at 12:43 PM,  <shadow at shadowgard.com> wrote:
> > On 1 May 2008 at 0:28, Richard Aiken wrote:
> >
> > > On Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 6:43 PM,  <shadow at shadowgard.com> wrote:
> > > > On 24 Apr 2008 at 0:20, Richard Aiken wrote:
> > > >
> > > > So a ton of fuel at 100 tons thrust would last for 6000 seconds or
> > > > 1.67 hours.
> > >
> > > Okay.  And the drive exhaust is a blow torch.  Real good reason to
> > > have Star-Wars-type docking bays.
> >
> > A blowtorch the same way that Hiroshima was a firecracker.
> 
> "Going to full burn in atmo?  Are you CRAZY?"

That's where what some books in the 50s called "ram-rockets" become 
useful.

You have the rocket "inside" a enclosure that can be opened at the 
front. The rocket exhaust creates a partial vacuum, which sucks air 
in the front, creating extra thrust. 

It'd also help tone down the nastiness of the exhaust a bit.


--
Leonard Erickson (aka shadow)
shadow at shadowgard dot com