Talk:Fission sail

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[edit] Steering

Why can't the sail be steered by rotating it (using momentum wheel or attitude jets or whatever)? njh 05:34, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] forwards fragments adding to thrust?

Why do forward fragments contribute to thrust? Unless I've misunderstood the structure (in which case this is a request for clarification ;) the radioactive layer and the absorbtion layer are bonded together, so any forwards moving fragment will simply work to heat the sail as a whole. The fragment will generate a tiny pulse of thrust backwards as it is emitted, but exactly the same pulse forward as it is absorbed. The material will then emit a photon in a random direction contributing nothing on average. njh 05:38, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

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