Re: [amsat-bb] Propellant fluid dynamics at zero-g

[James Sharp <jsharp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> This whole thread reminds me of a science fiction story I read a long
> time ago, called "The Cold Equations."  It was about a pilot of a ship
> that ferried cargo from orbit to a colony on the planet below.  These
> transport ships carried only enough fuel to decelerate the mass of the
> ship, pilot and allocated cargo.  On one of his trips to the surface,
> the pilot discovers an unexpected passenger--the kid sister of a
> colonist who decided that she couldn't wait until her scheduled
> transport to see her brother, and stowed away on the cargo ship.  Her
> extra mass means that he doesn't have enough fuel to land without
> crashing, nor can he abort his descent.
>
> Does anyone remember who wrote this story?
>

Tom Godwin, if I remember correctly.

That was a great story....I remember reading it in high school.

----
Via the amsat-bb mailing list at AMSAT.ORG courtesy of AMSAT-NA.
To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe amsat-bb" to Majordomo@amsat.org