Re: Small interstellar payloads

The Forward proposal involves using a laser based at the START. This
means that you need an extremely large phase coherent array. One sail
beaks away and focusses light onlo a second sail.

That sounds doubtful; the energy released from matter-antimatter
annihilation comes out in the form of extremely hard gamma, muons, pions
and other extremely penetrating particles, not to mention the
requirement for magnetic storage en route and the power supply for that.
I'm skeptical about the prospects of using it non-suicidally on anything
other than a very large craft.

There is one possible way to use antimatter to decererate a small
payload and thar is to use a semi Forward strategy. You seaparate your
probe from the main mass. The main mass then goes ahead. It contains
enough AM to decelerate the probe but not enough to decelerate itself.
It has an antimatter engine, this engine could in fact be an antimatter
cold muonic He3/D fusion engine. Antimatter provides the only sound
example of cold fusion. It does this by creating muonic atoms. When I
talk about cold fusion the fusion is only partially cold. A lot of self
sustaining fusion will occur.

This then fires up a laser system with deleration occuring though a
dielectric sail.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Small interstellar payloads
    ... beaks away and focusses light onlo a second sail. ... It has an antimatter engine, this engine could in fact be an antimatter ... cold muonic He3/D fusion engine. ... talk about cold fusion the fusion is only partially cold. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Pie in the sky nonsense; TRUE space travel
    ... One of the sources mentioned in this fanciful article is "fusion." ... we already have space craft venturing into interstellar ... A study by NASA in 1998 identified 3 potential propulsion technologies ... the backside of the sail needs to be an effective radiator. ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • sorry guys
    ... Coming in out of the cold: Cold fusion, ... nuclear fusion means ramming protons and neutrons together so ... creates enough static electricity to make your hair stand on end. ...
    (rec.music.classical.guitar)
  • Hydrogen Fusion Breakthrough
    ... In the wake of the negative 2004 DoE Report on the 2004 Cold Fusion ... Review submitted by Hagelstein et al, the Correas - at the Aurora ...
    (sci.physics.particle)
  • Hydrogen Fusion Breakthrough
    ... In the wake of the negative 2004 DoE Report on the 2004 Cold Fusion ... Review submitted by Hagelstein et al, the Correas - at the Aurora ...
    (sci.physics)