lightcraft

I'm not sure that lightcraft - in theory a major new launch technology -
really has the right to be considered to have potential at this stage: the
results Myrabo & the team have achieved a very modest; & the problems in
scaling up the technology to useable levels that these results have revealed
are suitably astronomical.

The biggest problem is that the power required to generate orbital lift even
in a microsat system isn't large by terrestrial generation purposes; but is
massive in terms of keeping the launch craft intact during launch; & even
the current system (which has achieved lifts no better than Chinese military
rockets of a thousand years ago; & a lot less than the 200 yr old British
bombardment rockets which appear in the USAmerican national anthem) is
tending to burn out the expensive test probes faster than the team can build
'em.

The situation is not dissimilar to Dr Rob Wing Lee's M2P2 virtual sail
technology: in theory, this plasma sail would open up the potential for a
huge number of solar system missions (both robotic & manned) as well as
interstellar precursor missions; but a) proving that the system works; & b)
proving that it will work without frying everything inside the M2P field is
another question entirely.

That said, i'm still pleased that both technologies are being researched; &
must add some links to both these theoretical technologies to the e2 links
page....

All the best,
Robert Clements Robert.Clements@...
endeavour2 project http://www.geocities.com/robtclements/endeavour2.html>