Aren't photon rockets supposed to be the most efficient of all? Michel
----- Original Message ----- From: "Robin van Spaandonk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 05, 2007 9:46 PM Subject: Re: [Vo]: Cold fusion powered rockets > In reply to Jed Rothwell's message of Thu, 04 Jan 2007 15:56:22 -0500: > Hi, > [snip] >>None. But suppose only CF is made practical, and the temperature is >>limited to, say, 1000 deg C. I suppose that would call for a two- or >>three-stage approach, starting with heat to electricity. >> > Not necessarily. It is becoming evident that when CF actually occurs, alpha > particles are the usual nuclear product. It may become possible to arrange for > them to be ejected directly rather than undergoing any form of conversion at > all. Multi-MeV alphas would yield a very interesting specific impulse, and > also > be far and away the most efficient way of utilizing the fuel. > > Regards, > > Robin van Spaandonk > > http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/ > > Competition provides the motivation, > Cooperation provides the means. >
