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Old May 22nd 06, 02:04 PM posted to sci.space.station,sci.space.history
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Default Oberg: "The real significance of the ISS thruster test failure"



Chuck Stewart wrote:

NASA PAO flack at a press confrerence:
"No one has ever done this before! It will be a
huge leap in space solar power applications that
will undoubtedly have many spinoff effects for life
on Earth... and also we're using RMS technology
engineered for the shuttle/ISS program so costs will
be reduced by a factor of 10!"



I'm still shaking me head at Deep Space 1 and the ion engine of wonder
that has never been done before and is like the one Scotty's going
ecstatic about in Star Trek TOS.
Of course it had been done long before, and powered by a RTG isotope
generator to boot.
What I can't figure out is why Scotty is so damn awed by an ion engine,
considering he's got a pair of antimatter powered warp field generators
to play with.
Maybe it's like running into a steam engine made out of titanium or
something.

Pat