Quote:Goddammit, now you've got me thinking about this...
Other things... well, I'd like to figure out the SDF-1's actual itinerary, along with attendant delta-v needs. Departure, arrival, etc. I've done some checking using online calculator thingies, and Neptune and Saturn look like they're going to be close enough that the trip would go relatively quickly, but Saturn to Mars (which, interestingly enough, looks like it might be in about the right place, orbit-wise, to be on the way to Earth) is going to be a long haul.
Okay, running the quick n' dirty numbers on a Hohmann transfer orbit from Neptune to Earth, it'll take about 16 km/s of delta-v to put the Macross into a minimum-energy return, with an expected flight time of 31 years.
*cue anguished howls from the crew*
Right. The Hohmann orbit is right out. These people would like to get home before their families die of old age. So, we're going to have to go with continuous thrust. Doing it in stages, a 1g burn for half the trip then a turnaround and 1g decelleration for the other half could get Macross home in a matter of less than a month (plus time to grab fuel from Saturn, take on/offload people at Mars, etc.). Problem is, this would require either insane amounts of remass or some sort of ET super efficient we-laugh-at-fuel-requirements handwavium drive to work.
Hell, considering that Macross is the size of a medium asteroid and weighs about the same, I'd seriously consider there being some sort of handwavium drive or something to reduce the ship's overall inertial mass to something the human-built engines can handle.---
Mr. Fnord, interdimensional man of mystery.
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Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
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