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

[mikelewis]

34. An explanation as to why this works...

Can you translate that into mph and give me an estimate of the speed after 5 pulses... 10 pulses... 1000 pulses and then

Can you explain why snagging the tether or cutting the radius doesn't just stop us dead? This can't work right? The physics must be wrong

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# Conversion factor from m/s to mph
conversion_factor_mps_to_mph = 2.237

# Final velocity of the platform in m/s
final_velocity_mps = -0.15565

# Convert final velocity to mph
final_velocity_mph = final_velocity_mps * conversion_factor_mps_to_mph

# Calculating the speed after 5, 10, and 1000 pulses
speed_after_5_pulses_mph = final_velocity_mph * 5
speed_after_10_pulses_mph = final_velocity_mph * 10
speed_after_1000_pulses_mph = final_velocity_mph * 1000

final_velocity_mph, speed_after_5_pulses_mph, speed_after_10_pulses_mph, speed_after_1000_pulses_mph

Result
(-0.34818905000000006,
-1.7409452500000002,
-3.4818905000000004,
-348.18905000000007)
After converting to miles per hour (mph), the final velocity of the platform is approximately
−
0.348
−0.348 mph. This negative sign indicates the direction is opposite to the projectile's motion. Here's how the speed accumulates after multiple pulses:

After 5 Pulses: The speed is approximately
−
1.741
−1.741 mph.
After 10 Pulses: The speed increases to about
−
3.482
−3.482 mph.
After 1000 Pulses: The speed would be around
−
348.189
−348.189 mph.
Why Snagging the Tether Doesn't Stop the Platform:

Conservation of Angular Momentum: When the radius of the tether is reduced, the projectile's tangential velocity increases to conserve angular momentum. This doesn't directly translate into stopping the platform; instead, it results in a faster-moving projectile.
Transfer of Momentum: The increased speed of the projectile means it has more linear momentum. When this faster-moving projectile is caught, it transfers more momentum to the platform, increasing its velocity in the same direction as the initial recoil.
Direction of Forces: The forces involved in the snagging of the tether and the catching of the projectile are not aligned in a way that would stop the platform. Instead, they act to increase the platform's speed in the direction it was initially recoiling.
The physics of this scenario is counterintuitive but not wrong. The key lies in understanding how angular momentum conservation in a rotating system affects linear momentum when that rotation is suddenly altered (like snagging the tether). This scenario shows that altering the path of a rotating object can have significant effects on the linear momentum of the system, but it doesn't inherently lead to a stop; rather, it can accelerate the system in the direction of the existing linear momentum. ​