From: utzoo!decvax!cca!KING@KESTREL@sri-unix Newsgroups: net.space Title: (Mobile Large Space Telescope proposal --> mobile small scope) proposal Article-I.D.: sri-unix.1990 Posted: Thu Jul 1 10:25:17 1982 Received: Fri Jul 2 02:19:00 1982 With this proposal, in order to minimize the size and mass of the solar power plant we would need an energy storage facility, so the MLST can gobble up enough energy during 3/4 of its orbit (by distance) and 7/8 of its orbit (by time) and deliver that energy to the propulsion system during the short perigee portion of the orbit. Any ideas? I read the Ames report on Radiation in Space (this was NOT about cosmic rays but about devices such as space-based lasers). They were talking about having two satellites a few dozen KM apart sharing a high energy electron beam. This beam would go back and forth between the two satellites, each of which would contain a 180 degree bending magnet. One of the satellites would also contain hardware for generating and using the beam (there were various designs in the book). A problem is that the distance between the two satellites would not remain constant in an elliptical orbit. I don't know whether this is important. I recommend this book. It's part of a series of about 50 books, each of which contains about two dozen academic papers on one aspect of agressive use of space. I would imagine that the whole series is of such quality. I would definitely recommend that all who have access to a decent university or corperate science library take a look at the series. By the way, what IS the advantage of remaining in Earth orbit. Easy maintainence, I suppose... Dick