A new means of space propulsion... closed loop pulse propulsion... here's the idea

[mikelewis]

31. According to the limited physics I understand... that momentum is conserved once it begins it's rotation...

Once the slug starts arcing, the backwards direction is no longer in line with the forward direction the astronaut is traveling. Those force lines separate making the force needed to stop the astronaut greater than the force needed to continually change the force direction of the slug. That's why figure skaters can retract their arms. If the force required to retract the arms was equal to the force needed to acquire that speed, there would be no way the skater could do that since the velocity reaches such a high amount so quickly.

The key here is the centripetal force formula where the energy of the system is equal to it's mass times the velocity squared divided by the radius. That means if you cut the radius, you get more velocity... it also means if you don't cut the radius, the additional energy you are looking for in the math comes from that square in the formula. Keep in mind... the velocity changes... it lowers but it also gains the square in the numerator which balances out the forces and accounts for why the angular momentum is conserved in the first place. This is where that magic happens...