RocketMan_Len
Member
Jerry Pournelle wrote about something similar in the mid-70s. He suggested using large rocket engines firing through MHD-generator tubes to alleviate the power-consumption problem. Atmospheric losses would be minimized by using a frequency that is not easily absorbed by the air (he suggested green...) and the problem of imperfect reflectors could be used to add reaction-mass to the equation.
He didn't delve much into cooling problems (it WAS a magazine article, after all...
) but a workaround he DID propose was multiple lasers firing in tandem... lower-powered lasers that fire less frequently stagger their pulses to produce a more rapid pulse-train.
He didn't delve much into cooling problems (it WAS a magazine article, after all...
) but a workaround he DID propose was multiple lasers firing in tandem... lower-powered lasers that fire less frequently stagger their pulses to produce a more rapid pulse-train.
