Publisher's Synopsis
Myrabo and Lewis reveal an intriguing preview of Next Generation, manned lightcraft technology. Based on today's physics and real engineering, this very detailed technical manual is conjured up for a presently fictitious (but eminently buildable), 20 meter diameter ultra-energetic disc, designed for a critical mission facing the US Space Command in 2025. The LTI-20 lightcraft must transport 6-12 space commandos half way around the world, loiter in the atmosphere, on-station for 1-2 weeks undetected, and return to the continental United States (CONUS) without 'refuelling' in the conventional sense. At hypersonic speeds, the LTI-20 is propelled by gigawatt level beamed power and MHD slipstream accelerators -- designed to annihilate the craft's own bow shock wave when traversing the atmosphere. The stealthy vehicle is completely silent, ultra-quick, and produces no sonic boom. The very same microwave lightcraft concept is seriously under investigation in NASAs Advanced Space Transportation Program (ASTP) -- as one of only two viable options 'now on the books' for cutting launch costs by 1000X -- within the foreseeable future.
