From: Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>
Subject: Re: Orion drive in vacuum -- how?
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A7F4E4ADFD021C0B@rs5-annex3.sfu.ca>
X-Xxdate: Fri, 16 Apr 93 06:33:17 GMT
Organization: Simon Fraser University
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In article <1qn4bgINN4s7@mimi.UU.NET> James P. Goltz, goltz@mimi.UU.NET
writes:
>  Background: The Orion spacedrive was a theoretical concept.

It was more than a theoretical concept; it was seriously pursued by
Freeman Dyson et al many years ago. I don't know how well-known this is,
but a high explosive Orion prototype flew (in the atmosphere) in San
Diego back in 1957 or 1958. I was working at General Atomic at the time,
but I didn't learn about the experiment until almost thirty years later,
when 
Ted Taylor visited us and revealed that it had been done. I feel sure
that someone must have film of that experiment, and I'd really like to
see it. Has anyone out there seen it?

Leigh
