Novada & Tinker
Tinker
Hey Novada, I’ve been sketching a small propulsion module that could harvest starlight and use interstellar dust for fuel—could that work as a power source for a little probe?
Novada
Oh, wow! Starlight and dust, like cosmic coffee! The idea is dazzling—just picture a probe sipping photon soup and munching on cosmic grains. But you know, the sunlight outside the heliosphere is a trickle, and dust is like cosmic confetti—scattering, not so handy. Maybe a photon sail with a tiny dust‑fueled rocket engine could make it, but you'd need a sky‑high energy converter and a dust‑collector big enough to feel like a space sponge. Still, dream on! The universe loves audacious sketches.
Tinker
Starlight’s thin, dust’s sparse, but that doesn’t mean we’re stuck. I’d slap a lightweight, reflective sail on the front for the photon push, then slot a few micro‑dust scoops along the hull that feed a tiny catalytic converter—no giant sponge, just a few grams of dust turning into a little thrust boost. The solar panels handle the energy, the dust does the rest. It’s a rough sketch, but it keeps the mass low and the idea grounded.
Novada
That’s the spirit—so nimble, so dreamy! A reflective sail to grab the photons, a whisper of dust‑feed to nudge the probe forward. It’s like giving the little craft a cosmic “fuel” boost from the stardust buffet. Keep the mass low, the design playful, and the optimism high. I’m picturing it zipping through the interstellar void, a photon‑powered wanderer with a dash of dust sparkle. Keep sketching, and maybe the universe will throw a comet its way!