4 ms·

See Larry Niven's Mote in God's Eye (1974) for details..

• stuxnet79 11y ago
  Did Mars figure prominently in the plot? I read the book exactly six years ago and loved it, but I have no idea why you are quoting it here.
  • gherkin0 11y ago
    No, but the aliens were discovered because one of them built a ship based on this idea ("solar" sail with a ground-based propulsive laser) and happened to arrive in a human-inhabited system. https://books.google.com/books?id=lKt5laoj1coC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=mote+in+god%27s+eye+laser&source=bl&ots=QTucO9WK2p&sig=fwQ9HNOZjtl4at5mi9aWZpuKpQs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjDva2m8YvLAhVEpx4KHWz0BfsQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=mote%20in%20god%27s%20eye%20laser&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=lKt5laoj1coC&pg=PA55&lpg=P...
    • stuxnet79 11y ago
      Thanks, I wasn't aware that this was the exact type of propulsion that NASA was proposing. Mote In God's Eye is a classic book! I'm going to have to re-read it sometime soon. Getting a nostalgia kick just thinking about it.
  • algorithmsRcool 11y ago
    Minor spoilers for others The first ship sent by the moties (the aliens in the book) uses this exact type of propulsion. A huge laser pushing a solar sail ship across space. It is not a new idea i think was the GP's point.