Comment by black_puppydog

8 years ago

I just finished reading the second of the Ringworld books, and this seems very much like a first step towards the ramjets the book is all about.

so, to-do:

* find way to scoop up more incoming material

* replace electric propulsion with sth more powerful

* write smug think piece about how sci-fi guides engineering

2 comments

black_puppydog

JumpCrisscross 8 years ago

Ringworld posited interstellar Bussard ramjets [1]. Since they were proposed (and Ringworld written) we have discovered there isn’t enough hydrogen in interstellar space to make such vehicles feasible.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bussard_ramjet

spuz 8 years ago

I haven't read Ringworld, but are you sure that it is not describing this already existing technology?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramjet