Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma
From: Fred McGalliard <frederick.b.mcgalliard@boeing.com>
Subject: Re: ??? Plasma mirror propulsion...
Organization: Boeing D&SG
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 17:43:47 GMT

aufsj@IMAP2.ASU.EDU wrote:
> (stuff on a plasma sail)
> Is there some big fundamental flaw I'm missing? Has this idea
> been fleshed out before?

Only one thing I can think of, besides the megawatt power level to keep
a killometer sized gas a plasma in free space at 3K, and the cup of
water a minute that leaks out of the confinement and has to be replaced,
and thats the terrawatt laser that has to be built to provide this
source of illumination. Perhaps you could coax a nearby star into lasing
in the direction we want.