Prior to launch you attach a reusable breaking device to the front that
consists of an EAPlaC engine, a flight computer, and a radio antenna.
Once the projectile enters the vicinity of the target world the flight
computer is activated via an RFD signal and uses the rocket to brake and
place the hunk of rock in a far orbit to be picked up when convenient.
Once the braking device is removed it is refueled (the engine holds fuel
for a round trip) and launched back to where it came from. Because it is
re-fueled at the destination world with enough fuel to get it back there
again with a payload attached, there is no refueling needed at the mining
site.
Of course, that may not be feasable due to the mass of the object the
"brakes" are attempting to stop. Don't know at the moment.
> With a very large, well-padded catcher's mitt. Use the rules on Antenna
> Arrays to work out size, and double mass to account for the padding.
> [grin]
>
> --- On Fri, 1/29/10, Roger Malmstein <>
> wrote:
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> Beltstrike was a CT boxed supplement.
>
> Sending ore away with a linear accelerator is quite an intersting concept.
> But how do you catch the nuggets when they arrive?
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