How to build this?

--- In ssi_list@... "Ed Minchau"
> > I don't have the math on hand but even at a constant acceleration
> > and deceleration of 1G would take months just to get to Mars
> IIRC... slower
> > than that, don't bother really... :)
>
> By my calculations: if Mars and Earth are at their minimum
distance
> (aug 27/03: 55746199000 m), then starting from earth orbit 100 km
up
> (initial velocity is earth's orbital velocity around the sun plus
> orbital velocity at 100km orbit: total of 37605m/s) and finishing
at
> mars orbit 100 km up (final velocity is mars' orbital velocity
> around sun plus orbital velocity at 100 km orbit: total of 27598
> m/s), with acceleration and deceleration at 1 gee and negligible
> turnaround time in the middle... total trip time would be just
over
> 28.5 hours. Peak velocity (at turnaround) would be 537 km/s.
>
> One would need a very high ISP to maintain 1 gee thrust for just
> over a day like that, but man oh man, talk about Mars Direct.
>
> Ed

Ed, Thanks, I was going to sit down and calculate the same thing.
Very interesting. Do you have any idea what the payload proportion
would be? I'd imagine using the rocket equation, that the amount of
reaction mass that you'd have to carry to sustain an engine burn, be
it chemical, nuclear, or solar powered, of 28.5 hours would be
immense.

That's why I don't buy into the stacked ship arrangement because
counting on acceleration to provide a sense of gravity would be
impracticle. Unless, we're talking Bussard Intersteller Ramjet.

I'd think that this ship would be immense and there'd only be a
small crew capsule stuck on it somewhere.

TangoMan