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To: z3n
> If it’s in micro-gravity, couldn’t they hold the secondary mirror with a magnetic cushion or something like that?

There have been proposals to use lasers for positioning micro satellite arrays that could dispense with physical connections. If there is a mirror on each spacecraft forming an optical resonator, the photons are be recycled thousands of times and amplify the momentum transfer. The laser gain medium is effectively inside the resonator thus improving efficiency. There’s all sorts of nifty possibilities, the author of the paper I referenced has a little company Y.K. Bae Corp looking for funding to fly micro satellite demonstrator arrays. With sufficiently large mirrors and optical meta materials and a “simple matter of engineering” this system could whisk payloads between the inner planets in a quickly via an "interplanetary photonic railway".

Actually I just had an epiphany and thought of a possible way to increase the effectiveness of the momentum transfer and possibly create a “momentum capacitor” that could radically transform orbital transfer in LEO...gonna see if anyone’s thought of my scheme and if not do the math and patent it.

58 posted on 05/10/2022 10:26:01 PM PDT by no-s (Jabonera, urna, jurado, cartucho ... ya sabes cómo va...)
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To: no-s

Wish there was a like button for your post


59 posted on 05/11/2022 6:03:18 AM PDT by z3n (Kakistocracy)
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