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Torchship
A spaceship capable of high acceleration. (Read the full article)
| "the torch ship would appear to be a photon rocket using something like an anti matter matter reaction.
Such a craft would get anywhere in the solar system in days.
im not sure how useful it would be for interstellar flight but mars would be as near as New York was to Southampton(england) in the fifies." (astrocat 6/29/2006 2:44:20 AM ) |
| "Heinlein's juvie "Farmer in the Sky" also used Torchships; they were described as using a total-conversion system of generating thrust. " (John Pfeifer 8/1/2006 8:41:48 AM ) |
| "Thrust, unfortunately, includes the mass that is used as fuel.
An engine that sips fuel can't generate much thrust no matter how fast the exhaust gas is." (Joe Noll 4/15/2010 5:39:43 PM ) |
| "Heinlein's other torchship mentions include mentions of extreme heat generation, presumably torch ships are using matter conversion/anihilation to a degree and heating a working medium through absorbing resulting gamma radiation from positron annihilation. A mere pittance of liquid saran wrap or candle paraffin would suffice. " (Frederick Le Murre 4/19/2010 9:18:43 AM ) |
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