XPost: sci.electronics.design, sci.astro   
   From: jl@glen--canyon.com   
      
   On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 14:23:33 -0500, Phil Hobbs   
    wrote:   
      
   >On 2026-02-02 12:49, John Hasler wrote:   
   >> Jan Panteltje wrote:   
   >>> So that makes me wonder if a spacecraft with just a permanent magnet   
   >>> that you can moveto give you a force in the direction you want to   
   >>> go...   
   >>   
   >> You can't control the direction of the force.  In any case the magnitude   
   >> of the force would probably down there with the light pressure from   
   >> stars lightyears away.   
   >>   
   >   
   >And a dipole couples to the field gradient, not the field, so the effect   
   >would be vanishing**2ly small.  (Or is that vanishing**3fly?)   
   >   
   >Cheers   
   >   
   >Phil Hobbs   
      
   One could use no fuel to drive from Boston to SF if you take only the   
   downhill roads.   
      
      
   John Larkin   
   Highland Tech Glen Canyon Design Center   
   Lunatic Fringe Electronics   
      
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