Jumping the Gun.

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Karell Ste-Marie"
wrote:
> Mike,
>
> Understood, but what is reaction mass ?

Strict newtonion physics. A mass driver on an asteroid will take a
tiny pebble and fire it off into space. The power to propell the
pebble will come from solar arrays. The KE of the particle = 0.5
mv^2 so the KE will grow at the square of the velocity. As the
pebble leaves the asteroid it will impart momentum against the
asteroid in the opposite directional vector.

So, the asteroid itself provides the fuel that is needed for
propulsion using the mass driver which is powered by solar cells.
Nicely self-contained.

TangoMan