Keith Morrison wrote:
> On Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:22:27 -0800, John Schilling
<schillin@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>>>> In JEP's CoDominium universe, humans develop the model that predicts
>>>> Alderson tramlines between 2004 and 2008. In 2008, the first
starships
>>>> leave the systems.
>>>> I can't recall how far out the nearest tramline was but I
>>>> think it was beyond Saturn.
>>>> In reality, if someone dumped an FTL drive like that in our
>>>> laps, one that offers no quick solution to getting around in stellar
>>>> systems, where the jump point isn't conveniently located, how long do
>>>> you think it would take before someone got around to sending a probe
>>>> out to the jump point?
>>> I suspect it would happen pretty quickly, easily within a decade.
>> Who do you imagine is capable of sending spacecraft to Saturn within a
>> decade? NASA couldn't do it, not even with unlimited funding and the
>> certain knowledge that every NASA employee would be tortured to death
>> if they failed. Nor ESA, nor the Russians, nor the plucky unstoppable
>> Chinese what are going to rule the world within a decade. The United
>> States Air Force would be a long shot, and who else is there?
>
> There's a lot of assumptions being unsaid, isn't there?
>
> First, what's the probe going to do? Is it there to confirm the jump
point is present, or
> jump? What does it need to do either (or both) of those? If it's
supposed to jump, is it
> supposed to take some kind of readings on the other side, or just take
some pictures and
> jump back?
>
> I can see everything from a small, cheap, simple probe that could be
done fast with mostly
> off the shelf (well, at least already existing plans) tech to others
that required a lot
> of infrastructure before you could even think about it.
>
> Assume a simple case: how fast could one send a small probe (assume a
nuclear power
> source, which is fairly off-the-shelf), equipped with a basic camera,
the required data
> storage and transmitting gear, and required software, on a flyby recon
mission to a jump
> point at Saturn's distance?
>
> For reference, New Horizons only took a year to make Earth-Jupiter, and
that's with pure
> conventional propulsion and power. So, if you allow some decent
geometry at the start,
> the main delay in getting out to Saturn distance isn't the flight time,
it's in building
> the probe.
My assumption when I answered 'about a decade' earlier in the thread was
that you needed to send a probe to confirm the existence of the jump
point with instruments. You did not need to send an Alderson drive
vessel through. Since I have no idea how massive or power-hungry an
Alderson drive is, that might preclude using existing components and
technology.
Regards,
Jack Tingle
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