[NicknamedBob]

Flight Procedure Update:

We are rotating, and we are moving away from the Earth. Our next maneuver of thrust will be back toward the Earth, in order to swing past the Moon again, and build up yet more speed, as well as swing around to our final trajectory.

Picture a kid on a skateboard or bike, in a swimming pool style skate arena, where he has looped up to the tip of the pool, doubles back, and goes across the center with very high speed.

That is what we are doing, and it requires us to supplement our fall rate with some reaction gases at high speed -- a jet reaction, or rocket reaction. Rocket thrust, from our Gas-Cooled Nuclear Reactor/Rocket Engines.

They are on turntables, mounted on the cylindrical surfaces of the Thrust Ring, so they could easily be directed around to the correct orientation and fired. However, there is a complication.

Habitats A and B are attached on the outside of the Thrust Ring, and they will swing naturally to accommodate the new thrust vectoring, with only a slight increase in the apparent gravity to be felt by the occupants.

The Castle Enclosure, on the other hand, is suspended by two jointed and cradling arms from the inside of the Thrust Ring. Reversing thrust would cause those arms to fetch up against the Thrust Ring itself as the Castle Enclosure swung around to the opposite tack.

That would not be good.

This has been anticipated, and we have a procedure to compensate. While the Castle Habitat, and Habitats A and B continue rotating, the Thrust Ring will turn over, bringing the Thrust Ring around to the other side of the supporting arms for the Castle, and allowing thrust to be reversed along our path without the problem described above.

Most of the material which is rotating is in the habitats. The Thrust Ring contains only a fraction of it. Nevertheless, this will be a confusing, uncomfortable, and slightly dangerous maneuver for anyone inside the Thrust Ring.

Accordingly, all possible operations not requiring supervisory personnel in immediate attendance on the Thrust Ring are being shut down and temporarily secured. The Thrust Ring, and all GCNR/REs will be evacuated, with the exception of an emergency skeleton crew in selected, non-stressful locations.

The belaying cables will be detached from Habitats A and B until the maneuver is completed, and then re-attached. (These are safety and force-dampening cables.)

This Thrust Ring turnover will have to be repeated once we reach the orbit of Mars also, in order to safely decelerate into Martian Orbit.

Because our Emergency Evacuation Procedures are impacted by this maneuver, we ask that all operations which might in any way affect the need for evacuation be considered most carefully, and either not begun, or suspended until we can resume our normal safety profile.

Those of you who wish to observe this Thrust Ring turnover first-hand are invited to simply find a clear space and look up through your habitat’s canopy. It should be visually equivalent to passing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The procedure will be initiated at the top of the hour, and should be completed in a little over an hour. It is recommended that spherical elevator passage between Habitats be restricted to emergency travel only, until the procedure has been completed.

Thank You.

[MEG33]

Aye Aye, Sir!

[EsmeraldaA]

SO; we're not there yet?

*sigh*

Thank goodness!

Will do as ordered....er...suggested.

[freedumb2003]

You need to get MIDIs of any of the Alan Parsons Projecy albums to goie the proper background to these great descriptions.

[Paul_Denton]

Very cool! :) I been kinda slecking off during my writing in the holidays but I am starting up again. You seem to be into hard-sci-fi as well. Nuclear engines are awesome too. Mine use those as main engines on capital ships such as corvette and frigate class ships and as maneuvering thrusters/backup thrusters on super-capital ships (that is Destroyers, Cruisers, Carriers etc). My fission engines use the gas-core nuclear engines which are some five times more powerful than solid core fission engines (specific impulses of 3000 to 5000 seconds in the gas core design versus only 900 in a solid core design).

I like how you write in detail the physics of movign through the solar system, using the gravity "sling shot" maneuvers.

[Tax-chick]

I see I slept through all the excitement again ... do we have video?

[Not A Snowbird]

Should we lean in any particular direction while all this is going on? Or just sit down and hold on?

[tuliptree76]

Thanks for the update, Bob.