seawasp: (Dexter)
[personal profile] seawasp
.... it's the darn research. I posted this on the more private beta-reading list, but realized it probably belonged here as well.

I spent all my time this weekend doing calculations involving acceleration and deceleration times, distances, masses, energy collection and generation capabilities, etc., etc., etc., etc....

... just to arrive at the determinations of what I can do straight, and what I have to handwave, in order to let the story play out as we generally want it to.

The overall conclusion: What happens in Threshold is theoretically possible. In practical terms I think I'm going to be being, shall we say, extremely optimistic in the timeframes available in terms of how much power generation capacity will be able to be created for certain things to work out. Then again, as Dr. Nordley (who has been kind enough to advise me in certain areas) said, "Interstellar propulsion is no game for those with macronumerophobia." This is true even for fast interplanetary.

Fast, I say? Yes. How about from Earth to Jupiter in about 70 days, with good conditions? Or about 21 days Earth-Mars?

Yeah, that's getting pretty fast. I can actually GET there faster, but then I start having REAL problems *STOPPING*. (I'm pushing "stop" limits pretty far, as I understand them, but they're POSSIBLE. Anything much beyond where I'm taking things, though, and I suspect it becomes impossible)

Date: 2006-06-12 05:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shana.livejournal.com
21 days to Mars?

Now you're getting into the territory of tourism possible...

Re: Heh...

Date: 2006-06-12 06:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cordova829.livejournal.com
"... a tale of a mother ship..."

Seriously, why not just look at the Alcubierre warp bubble? Yeah, Travis Taylor wrote about it, but why not look at a different approach to create a "space highway"? A chain of electromagnetic propulsion rails (like the bullet trains) interlinked in different routes....

That'd be later, naturally. But it's a thought.

Back to work now.

Re: Heh...

Date: 2006-06-12 06:24 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cordova829.livejournal.com
Aw, you're no fun.

"We shall harness the power of the sun!"

**five seconds later**

"Hey Larry, what's this button do?"

FA-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Heheh

Re: Heh...

Date: 2006-06-12 06:41 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Straight Alcubierre is actually worse than that, from some estimates - figures in the scale of the entire power output of the visible universe over the history of the earth for a 100m 'bubble', IIRC.

van den Broek, however, found a loophole. *grin* There's still 'issues' - The main one being the opening into the "inside" of the metric is roughly as much smaller than a proton than a proton is smaller than a meter stick. Time for one heck of a shoehorn.

Who knows - Someone-Else may come along and find a solution to /that/ problem too! (Or, at least, you might be able to postulate such a thing...)

-John B

Re: Heh...

Date: 2006-06-12 08:42 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
"A chain of electromagnetic propulsion rails (like the bullet trains) interlinked in different routes...."

Galaxy Train 999!

Re: Heh...

Date: 2006-06-12 08:43 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Oops, forgot.

That last post was me.

-- Alex S.

Date: 2006-06-13 02:17 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] k-kinnison.livejournal.com
I suppose if the ship could withstand the stress doing some severe aerobraking could do it. of course with the thin atmosphere of Mars that isn't much of an option. But for Jupiter it is certainly feasable with maybe a high-temp drouge chute

Big problem is how much stress the ship can handle.

I suppose the is allways the otption of disposable boosters and detachable high-G deorbiters

Date: 2006-06-13 06:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ninjarat.livejournal.com
I think it is more a matter of how much g stress the crew and passengers can handle.

Re: No, actually...

Date: 2006-06-14 05:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ninjarat.livejournal.com
I see where you're going but that isn't what I got out of the last bit, that you're having problems stopping once you've achieved the acceleration/velocity you want/need in the time and distance allowed. Atmospheric drogues could bleed off the energy very quickly (assuming you don't slingshot yourself out of orbit again). It's hypothetically, maybe theoretically, possible to get your 3g+ delta-v. Ships can be designed to withstand that. Humans cannot.

Outside of the context of using some external braking mechanism, yes, you're stuck with energy problems.

Travel

Date: 2006-06-13 07:42 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] voicefromshadow.livejournal.com
I recall Heinlein put some acceleration/time information (In expanded universe I think). I don't know how current or correct it is.. but it was everything from earth-mars to earth-pluto. I think the major factor whether you can supply a constant boost

By the way

Date: 2006-06-13 02:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shana.livejournal.com
Boundary was reviewed in the June issue of School Library Journal.

I posted the text on the bar and in your sff.net group.

Date: 2006-06-14 03:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sub-musashi.livejournal.com
Damn. that's pretty speedy. Aerobraking to bleed off some energy?

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