VASIMR

Ian Woollard wrote:
> In the context of a space propulsion system, big enough
> to add significant mass to the overall vehicle. Perhaps
> upto a megawatt or so- maybe a square kilometer.

Um. Slight (3 orders of magnitude ;-) ) error there.

1 megawatt actually works out to about 50m by 50m or so;
about 0.0025 square kilometers- still very big but probably
quite doable in zero g conditions.
--
- Ian Woollard (ian.woollard@...)

"Is a planetary surface the right place for an expanding technological
civilization?"
- Gerard O'Neill