Re: Real Life Thrust (was: hyperspace)

>Ah, the Bussard ram scoop idea, sorta like a giant spider web.  Such a
ship
>always seems so frail and subject to damage.  With scoops a few kms
wide you
>go fishing for Kra'Vak!  I knew someone would find a way to deal with
those
>little buggers. ;)

	But as it's sci-fi, the scoop field needn't be composed of
matter.
On this topic, I have a (very) vague recollection that the density of
matter
in space is on the order of 1 Hydrogen atom per millilitre "locally" (ie
fairly near the sun) and drops to about 1 per litre "out there".  Does
anyone know if those figures are anything like right?

>Well if we're talking sci-fi, they could probably find a way to push a
black
>hole. ;)
>
>
>Mike Miserendino

	I remember a Jerry Pournelle article in which he suggested
dropping
same-charged particles into a black hole to build up a charge, then
moving
it around electrostatically!

Rob Paul
NERC Institute of Virology 
Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR	  Tel. (01865) 512361
rkp@mail.nerc-oxford.ac.uk
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