Re: Rocket action

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 15:53 12/9/99 -0500, Robert Cohen wrote:
> On Fri, 3 Dec 1999, brian whatcott wrote:
>
> > At 08:52 12/2/99 -0500, Rick Tarara wrote:
> >
> > > It is easy to 'see' that the rocket can continue to accelerate under a
> > > sustained thrust, but less obvious how the center of mass (rocket starting
> > > in space, originally at rest) remains fixed and at rest, especially
once the
> > > speed of the rocket exceeds the speed of the exhaust.  ;-)
> > > ///
> > > Richard W. Tarara
> >
> > I believe Rick would want to reconsider this mind experiment.
> >
> >
> > brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
> > Altus OK
>
> Why reconsider it?  Is something wrong with it?
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> | Robert Cohen

I have written up my objection to the list two or three
times by now.    Is the objection not intelligible?

The idea of a time progression until a rocket outraces its
exhaust is a physics textbook fairy tale in essence, if you
consider that its exhaust can be throttled to low velocity
at some indefinitely early stage.





brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>
Altus OK