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05-12-2011, 12:36 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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[Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
Does the acceleration of a magsail vary by the distance from a star according to the inverse square law, as does a lightsail? Logically it seems that it should, but the RAW in Spaceships doesn't seem to imply that.
If it doesn't, why not? |
05-12-2011, 12:45 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: [Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
Because the sail effect becomes larger or smaller depending on the solar wind, actual scaling is slower than inverse square.
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05-12-2011, 09:57 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: The Land of Enchantment
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Re: [Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
How does it scale, then?
Why not have the sail at maximum size all the time? |
05-12-2011, 10:17 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: May 2008
Location: CA
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Re: [Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
Quote:
The sail's size depends upon various conditions, but the long and short of it is that the sail is always at maximum size - the maximum size simply changes as you get closer (it contracts) or further away (it expands) from the star. |
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05-12-2011, 10:25 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Jan 2010
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Re: [Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
That's... weird. I'm can't seem to find any mention of that.
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05-12-2011, 10:30 PM | #6 |
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Re: [Spaceships] Magsail acceleration question
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Tags |
magsail, spaceships |
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