On 25 Aug 2017 14:29, "Traveller" <xxxxxx@btinternet.com> wrote:

On 25 Aug 2017, at 12:01, David Shaw <xxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

On 25 Aug 2017 11:52, "Jeff Rowse" <xxxxxx@hotmail.com> wrote:

Unless you have some sort of magic material like the Carvorite in HG Wells' "The First Men In The Moon

Which is exactly what contra-grav is, except that, instead of being a material, the CG generates a field which negates gravity. Of course, you still need power to energise that field, but in the handwavium physics of the TU that power is far less - by several orders of magnitude - than that required to hold the ship up using thrusters alone.

So the inaccurate analogy is less a helicopter and more a choice between a helium balloon (no energy required to hover) and a hot air balloon (a little energy to offset losses).

However, another question:

Is the ship negating all gravity or just enough so that it is in geostationary orbit, 10m above the ground?

I have a vague memory of TNE stating that it neutralised *almost* all gravity, enough so that a 1g drive was sufficient to lift off from any surface and that's the way I play it. Unfortunately, my TNE books are not readily available, so I can't easily check.

David Shaw