re orion drive in vacuum how in article qn bginn s mimi uu net goltz mimi uu net james p goltz writes would this work i can t see the em radiation impelling very much momentum especially given the mass of the pusher plate and it seems to me you re going to get more momentum transfer throwing the bombs out the back of the ship than you get from detonating them once they re there the orion concept as actually proposed as opposed to the way it has been somewhat misrepresented in some fiction included wrapping a thick layer of reaction mass probably plastic of some sort around each bomb the bomb vaporizes the reaction mass and it s that which transfers momentum to the pusher plate all work is one man s work henry spencer u of toronto zoology kipling henry zoo toronto edu utzoo henry
