Steven V Johnson wrote:
They will write impassioned ballads of unfortunate ships flung out
of the solar system.
I think it is more likely they will dispatch a ship to repair or tow
the derelict ship back to the nearest port. In the era of steamships
and warships, ships sometimes broke down mid-ocean, but this was
usually not a calamity. (It still happens occasionally nowadays;
there are salvage companies that make a fortune rescuing stranded ships.)
My point is that there is no immediate danger to being flung out of
the solar system as long as there is equipment available to dispatch
and bring you back. You would sit around for a few weeks waiting to a
tow, getting tired of the on-board food selections. The only danger
would be if you were in the one-and-only spaceship capable of leaving
the solar system.
I recall an sci-fi story about a ship where they could not turn off
the motor, so no one could catch up. I cannot imagine any technology,
no matter how advanced, which does not include an ON/OFF switch
somewhere in the loop.
- Jed
- Re: [Vo]:Reactionless drive claim: Emd... Jed Rothwell
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