this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
488 points (99.8% liked)
science
14806 readers
409 users here now
A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.
rule #1: be kind
<--- rules currently under construction, see current pinned post.
2024-11-11
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
What's fun about these is that the mass of the actual vehicle can be much smaller if it doesn't need to carry rocketry and fuel on board. So even though they'll never compete with rockets for power (energy used over a specific length of time), starting at a lighter weight and never running out of fuel means that these systems could theoretically exceed the top speeds (relative to the earth) of our fastest rockets, given enough time.
How do they slow down or stop; is it by reversing the sail?