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"Science fiction is really sociological studies of the future, things that the writer believes are going to happen by putting two and two together."
- Ray Bradbury
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| Torchship | ||
| A spaceship capable of high acceleration. |
This word paints a wonderful picture; a rocket looks like an upside-down torch, rising on its tail of flames.
| He held a torcher's contempt for the vast distance itself. Older pilots thought of interplanetary trips with a rocketman's bias, in terms of years—trips that a torchship with steady acceleration covered in days. |
| From Sky Lift,
by Robert Heinlein. Published by Imagination in 1953 Additional resources -
|
Another (more complete) description comes from Heinlein's later novel Double Star:
See Bussard ramjet for a form of propulsion capable of even higher speeds.
"The Can Do - that's this bucket - is about to rendezvous with the Go For Broke, which is a high-gee torchship. About seventeen seconds and a gnat's wink after we make contact the Go For Broke will torch for Mars - for we've got to be there by Wednesday."
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