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From: ajs@hpfcla
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: antimatter stardrives
Message-ID: <22000015@hpfcla>
Date: Mon, 17-Mar-86 14:56:00 EST
Article-I.D.: hpfcla.22000015
Posted: Mon Mar 17 14:56:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Mar-86 04:39:52 EST
Lines: 24

> ...  antimatter pellets should be allowed to exist only millions of
> miles from Earth, lest all life on one side of Earth be incinerated by
> an explosion...

An underlying concept seems to be:  it takes brute force (energy) for
long-distance space travel.  This discussion on antimatter is about just
how to get the "ultimate" brute force.  The more energy you concentrate
or manipulate, the greater the risks.  You can play engineering games,
but that basic truth seems undeniable.

> ...all we have to do is somehow put a half twist on a small section of
> space...  any matter put through the twist would come through the other
> side as antimatter.

Now here is an example of using "finesse" rather than "brute force".  I
suspect (and hope) that if we ever achieve Universe-spanning means of
travel, it will be by use of finesse, not brute force.  The latter tends
to be more expensive, dangerous, and "polluting".

If you can twist space to produce antimatter, why can't you twist it to
wormhole from hither to yon, and forget the stardrive?

Alan Silverstein, Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Systems Division, Colorado
{ihnp4 | hplabs}!hpfcla!ajs, 303-226-3800 x3053, N 40 31'31" W 105 00'43"