In reply to Stephen A. Lawrence's message of Thu, 04 Jan 2007 16:41:58 -0500: Hi, [snip] > 11,000 = 3,000 * log(M_i/M_f) > > log(M_i/M_f) = 3.7 > > M_i/M_f = exp(3.7) = 39
Using 10 MeV alpha particles as your exhaust yields M_i/M_f = 1.0005011 (However you may have some difficulty convincing them all to go in the same direction). IOW 99.95 % of your mass can be vessel + payload (Assuming you have no fuel left upon attaining escape velocity). Of course, if you are satisfied with only 99.9 %, then you can come home too. :) Regards, Robin van Spaandonk http://users.bigpond.net.au/rvanspaa/ Competition provides the motivation, Cooperation provides the means.
