hal@finney.org wrote:
> Even if this were true, solar sailing would still work, right? You would
Of course they would, and of course one could use focused radiation
(microwave or laser), creating sufficient flux even at lighthour
and lightmonth distances.
> use the sail at an angle to speed up or slow down your orbital speed,
> thereby enlarging or shrinking the orbital radius. In this way you
> could maneuver to any orbit in the solar system, eventually (watch out
> for those planets though).
You don't have to stay in the ecliptics plane with photonic propulsion.
Also, it seems a good idea to send an autopoietic probe ahead, transforming
a large rock into smart photovoltaics/radiator base at the receiving end.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:56:48 MDT