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Study: 1960 ramjet design for interstellar travel—a sci-fi staple—is unfeasible
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Actually, Bussard's original idea has been considered unworkable for some years now. However...

In the time since the Meistersinger article was written, we've added ramjets into the setting more fully. However, they differ from Bussard's original design in various ways, including:

a) They use the RAIR design, which treats interstellar H2 as reaction mass, not fuel for a fusion reactor.

b) They use conversion technology to power things (and Q-mirrors at the most advanced level)

c) The magnetic scoop fields are 'smart' - actively controlled to constantly reconfigure in real time to minimize drag and maximize performance for as long as possible. The scoop can also reconfigure to act as a very effective braking system and gather reaction mass for the ship to use once it drops below effective magbraking speed (about one half of 1% of c)

Despite this, even ramscoop ships in OA top out at somewhere in the mid-80%s of lighspeed IIRC.

The Meistersinger article actually needs updating on various fronts, including adding the graphics that were created for it some time back and also the info on the ramscoops in light of the developments elsewhere in the setting.

Hope this helps,

Todd
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RE: Study: 1960 ramjet design for interstellar travel—a sci-fi staple—is unfeasible - by Drashner1 - 02-13-2022, 03:17 PM

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