But now the ship has a completely
independent, second field. Its tail is never outside!"
Cochrane did not have the sort of mind to find such information either
lucid or suggestive.
"So what happens?"
"We have both plates of a Dabney field always with us," said Jones
triumphantly. "We're always in a field, even landing in atmosphere, and
the ship has practically no mass even when it's letting down to landing.
It has weight, but next to no mass. Didn't you notice the difference?"
"Stupid as it may seem, I didn't," admitted Cochrane. "I haven't the
least idea what you're talking about."
Jones looked at him patiently.
"Now we can shoot our exhaust out of the field! The ship-field, not the
main one!"
"I'm still numb," said Cochrane. "Multiple sclerosis of the brain-cells,
I suppose. Let me just take your word for it."
Jones tried once more.
"Try to see it! Listen! When we landed the first time we had to use a
lot of fuel because the tail of the ship wasn't in the Dabney field. It
had mass. So we had to use a lot of rocket-power to slow down that mass.
In the field, the ship hasn't much mass--the amount depends on the
strength of the field--but rockets depend for their thrust on the mass
that's thrown away astern.
Pages:
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226