Can the nature of space, and therefore the behaviour of any device or machine placed into it, be anything other than speculative?
Even fundamentalist establishment science believers recently saw their 'void' or 'imperfect vacuum' crammed full of the Matter known only as Dark?
I do not recall this addition being factored in to any of the pre-DM space travelling calculations. I would contest the invention of this DM, along with it's equally Dark Energy, are like Black Holes: A purely mathematical invention, to explain the latest failure of the (certainly ambitious) fiercely defended numbers-model that explains the mechanics of the entire universe.
I see the Orion 'huge pile of nooks' alternative propulsion method gets a mention elsewhere, but I think that was a fairly early (50's/60's) lunatic notion. At the risk of divergence, I would like to draw attention to this rocket-alternative that is so crazy, so mad and sad at the same time; that it comes from the NASA of only 20 years ago makes it more or less insane, I do not know......
Conceptual diagram of a Medusa propulsion spacecraft, showing: (A) the payload capsule, (B) the winch mechanism, (C) the main tether cable, (D) riser tethers, and (E) the parachute mechanism
(I found myself in a vortex of gleeful disbelief, is this going where I think it is, I thought.)
A Medusa spacecraft would deploy a large sail ahead of it, attached by cables, and then launch nuclear explosives forward to detonate between itself and its sail. The sail would be accelerated by the impulse, and the spacecraft would follow.
Operating sequence of the Medusa propulsion system. This diagram shows the operating sequence of a Medusa propulsion spacecraft (1) Starting at moment of bomb / pulse unit firing, (2) As the bomb's explosion pulse reaches the parachute canopy, (3) Pushes the canopy, accelerating it away from the bomb explosion as the spacecraft plays out the main tether with the winch, braking as it extends, starting to accelerate the spacecraft, (4) And finally winches the tether back in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_pulse_propulsion
Yes, a 1990's cosmic sail ship, powered by nooks.
And as for Orion, and much else asylum humour;
"With a mass of 1000-2000 metric tons and 1000 nuclear bombs for propulsion the medium version alone would have been a terrifying monster. The "super" Orion design at 8 million tons could easily be the size of a small city. Here is a size comparison of some of the proposed versions:"
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/10 ... -bomb.html
"As a side note, we should also mention project "Aldebaran" (1962) - immense nuclear-pulse sea-launch vehicle:"
Many hilarious projects to be found at this link, if not seen before.
Please shift off to general space spastic thread if I digressed too far. My point really was, that no reliable data exists for the nature of whatever is to be found, at a sufficient height from the ground, that it can be considered 'space'.