flaugher
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Thinking about what would happen to a 1-G spaceship IF it could NOT decelerate after reaching the halfway point in it's journey. Had the idea that any trip should be a two-jump process: accelerating toward the destination for 1/4 of the trip, decelerating down to zero, then accelerating again to the 3/4 point and back to zero at destination.
The advantage is that a rescue ship could be launched to intercept a disabled / coasting one, offload its passengers, and return to the destination point in a reasonable length of time. Accelerating to full velocity at the halfway point would require a MUCH longer rescue mission that could, theoretically, leave people running out of food, water, or air.
Possibility: Establish a rescue station in solar orbit that would remain halfway between Earth and Mars, Earth and Saturn, and Earth and Jupiter (most likely three destinations once 1-G travel gets established).
Such a station could also be a useful navigational and tracking aid once more and more ships start travelling.
Multiple hops or jumps could also prove useful in the case of a trip to, say, Saturn and Jupiter and their moons, perhaps to avoid the asteroid belt(s).
The advantage is that a rescue ship could be launched to intercept a disabled / coasting one, offload its passengers, and return to the destination point in a reasonable length of time. Accelerating to full velocity at the halfway point would require a MUCH longer rescue mission that could, theoretically, leave people running out of food, water, or air.
Possibility: Establish a rescue station in solar orbit that would remain halfway between Earth and Mars, Earth and Saturn, and Earth and Jupiter (most likely three destinations once 1-G travel gets established).
Such a station could also be a useful navigational and tracking aid once more and more ships start travelling.
Multiple hops or jumps could also prove useful in the case of a trip to, say, Saturn and Jupiter and their moons, perhaps to avoid the asteroid belt(s).
