I have friends who are very tolerant (I think & hope!) of my messaging.pic.twitter.com/alDtLmlbbv
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Various caveats have been omitted, which I may end up regretting on Twitter. Probably the main one is that I was reciting from long-ago memory the numbers on order of magnitude kinetic energy required for escape velocity. So buyer beware (or, better, do the calculation yourself!)
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And I rechecked: I missed one order of magnitude on the initial energy calculation. It's more like 9*10^8 J to send 1kg out of the solar system. Still, the key point is the same: human-level energy consumption is about the same as what's required to go to the stars
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This does not imply that it's possible, though I personally rather like the idea of a pavlova-powered starship. It's just an amusing comparison.
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End of conversation
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Are you a fan of solar sails? They have supporters, but I'm a skeptic.
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I don't know enough to have an opinion.
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