"Yes, but if it is a perfect mirror then ALL the photons are reflected, so there is no source of energy to accelerate the sail."
If the sail is a perfect mirror, then all of the impact momentum exchange of the photon should be seen.
It is solar radiation "pressure" that is the motive force.
Photons have velocity of c, and enough of them exchanging kinetic energy can move the sail.
Peter V
In my opinion, GregLocock and c2c nailed it down.
The cyclical accelerations are a function of the sin of combined angles of the longitudinal axes of the trans (or output shaft), drive shaft (or halfshaft) and the pinion axis (or carrier bearing), and it is opccilatory and the torque on a 4...
"...but I have yet to see anyone work on a set of standards for various vehicle types."
Up to the present, it has been so extreamly expensive to design and produce spacecraft, and many spacecraft "houses" have done every thing that they could to "standardize" one...
I agree with what "rbue" is saying.
Although following "heritage designs" is promoted, usually the mission requirments tend to tangent off what would be considered "Heritage".
This is not neccessarily the case for "standard" type goestationary...
On a trip of the duration to Mars, I would still say that the complexity and material components neccessary to reconstitute the carbon and nitrogen components of POO would not be worth it.
I agree with Metalguy, in that you need to have your center of gravity forward of your center of dynamic pressure.
The reasons for that are similar to both the F16, and an arrow. When the shuttle goes through the atmosphere, and especially through MAX Q (the period of maximum dynamic pressure)...
I would think that because mass is such an issue still, in spacecraft design and mission planning, that I would think that the urine could and would be recoverable, but the feces would probably be discarded. Taking the "hit" on the mass of a feces reclaimation device would not be worth...
